Harry Potter and the Great Adventure
by magiquill9
Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. Horcruxes anyone? How can Harry find a horcrux? Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that's Tom Riddle. HG RH RLNT
1. The Memories of Aberforth Dumbledore

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 1 of : The Memories of Aberforth Dumbledore

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Aberforth reflects on Mundungus Fletcher's banishment, a thrilling tale of Albus's, his new job, and has an interesting visitor.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: To my new readers, welcome, to my old readers, welcome back. It is time to venture into another story of mine. I apologize for the Harry/Hermione from last time; I just lost the heart for it. I have found my heart though, in this story. It is going to be Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione of course, but all in good time, all in good time. I do hope you enjoy it. Of course, none of Harry Potter belongs to me, or anything from the Potter universe, although I did make up a couple of spells with the help of a Latin translator, but I digress. Here is chapter one, the post HBP story. Point of View for this story will be all Harry, except of course, chapter one will belong to Aberforth Dumbledore, our goat-loving bartender at the Hog's Head. So here, for your entertainment, is chapter 1: The Memories of Aberforth Dumbledore._

Aberforth Dumbledore sat back, absentmindedly rinsing a dirty bottle, and staring at his pub, the Hog's Head. He looked towards the worn and dusty stairs and saw the door leading out. He noticed the chunk missing from the wall, where he had hit one of the men that had been banned from his pub. He realized that his life wouldn't be that exciting anymore after tonight. After his brother's death, he had become somehow less important. Before, he had always been friendly with the late headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He would relay invaluable information to his dear brother, but now he would constantly find himself thinking back on memories of the past. One night in particular came to mind, the night that changed everything. It had been a cold and rainy night in the Hog's head, many years ago.

Before he could properly remember though, his eyes strayed across the wall. A memory then caught Aberforth and he watched himself through it. He saw a chunk he took out of the wall and remembered Mundungus Fletcher. He remembered throwing him out of the pub and banning him as well. He remembered what happened like it was yesterday. He had a very good memory.

Dung had been sitting there, doing another one of his illicit trades with another man whom Aberforth didn't know. The man was angered by Dung and began to start a fight. Dung quickly stopped the man, but not before he had broken half of the goods in the pub due to his poor wand aim. Aberforth was furious at the man. The other man ran and apparated away, but Dung was caught, and subsequently kicked out. He had vowed to never let him back in, but all that had changed last year. There were a few things Aberforth had needed for a friend, and Dung was in the position to acquire them. He had handed over quite a few things to Aberforth, items that had at one point resided in #12 Grimmauld Place. He had a photo of the Blacks, a music box, a lovely golden locket with a chain, a couple of goblets, and a book that he had needed, a book that contained _very dark arts_ in them, a book about _horcruxes, _items that would be enchanted to contain a piece of someone's soul.

A murder was required to split the soul and place it in the item, thus giving the user a version of immortality, because his soul would be linked to this realm. The way to create a horcrux was very complicated, as was to destroy it, and it was all in that book, a book that hadn't seen the light of day for quite awhile, but now was forced to reemerge into the chaotic world. These items were all of value to someone. Dung had given them over, but the young Harry Potter had interrupted their trade. Aberforth had walked away, his possessions secure, but Dung was apprehended, and forced to apparate away. Aberforth had put away his newly purchased items and waited. The man was supposed to come sometime soon, unless something happened. Aberforth knew he would be unable to talk to the man once Aberforth took up his post at Hogwarts.

Aberforth was brought out of his memories by a loud noise. He turned around and looked, wondering who had entered his bar. He saw a young man in a cloak approaching his bar and recognized him.

"Aberforth," he growled.

"Hello, how may I help you?" he asked respectfully.

"Do you have my possessions?" the man asked bluntly.

"Yes as a matter of fact. Here they are." Aberforth slowly walked back towards a magical safe in the back, fully aware of the eyes trained on his retreating figure. He arrived at the safe and opened it, withdrawing the items he had bought from Dung. Now in hand, he walked back to the front and handed them to the man in the cloak.

The man began sorting through the items, pausing on each one to ascertain its true identity. He flopped into a nearby chair after pocketing the photo and necklace, and after placing the goblets and music box into his suitcase, began to read, oblivious to his surroundings. Aberforth shrugged, and continued to wash the bottle in his hand. Then, he began to remember when it all started, the first time.

Albus had been sitting with him one day, sharing a firewhiskey, as he told a story. Albus, Aberforth noted, was a very good storyteller. Especially when the subject matter was highly entertaining. The year had been 1945. The war was over. Grindelwald was defeated. Aberforth asked Albus how he did it. And that's how the memory started.

"What happened Albus?" Aberforth asked, eyes burning with excitement, as if he was asking for a particularly delicious treat.

"Well, we had been tracking his movements for quite sometime-" Albus began simply.

"We? You are a Transfiguration teacher! What else are you involved in?" Aberforth was still shocked as well, but curiosity got the better of him, so he paid attention.

"As I was saying, we attempted to track down Grindelwald over a number of occasions. I joined to help, for personal reasons, of which you yourself know."

Aberforth fell silent, remembering the other story Albus had told him, of how Grindelwald had murdered their parents, and forced Albus to watch them be killed and it wasn't only their parents, but also Albus's wife. That had been over 30 years ago. After that, he had never fallen in love again, and that was a mistake that Albus would always regret for the rest of his life. A mistake that Albus constantly complained about. Aberforth then paid attention to the story. Albus had given a respectful silence, waiting for his brother to collect his thoughts.

"When we found him in Germany, the aurors charged. I noticed something different about Grindelwald though, something that I had never felt before. It was almost like he wasn't – human. He had changed. The rumors then, were true. He had done the unthinkable, he had created a horcrux." Albus allowed for the significance of his statement to sink in. It was a powerful charge to make against someone.

"A horcrux Albus? Are you certain?" Aberforth asked, astounded that someone had actually gone that far to do that. Because, to create a horcrux, one must not only kill somebody, which is bad enough, but must then split his soul, something that went against all the beliefs of the time.

"Yes. And when they killed him, he refused to die. His spirit lingered and he attacked. An interesting attribute of having a horcrux is you lose your identity, in some sense. You have no whole soul, therefore your soul, like an element such as oxygen, attempts to combine with another soul to become whole. Therefore, his soul is capable of possessing animals, or even people. That was how I knew he had not died. I sensed his spirit, in essence. Now, when he killed our parents, I noticed him casting an interesting spell. He first marked our father, and something appeared on him, which marked him as the kill to be used to create the horcrux. Then, after the death, he pointed at the object in his hand, gave an incantation, and the object glowed, then became still, as had Grindelwald. I had been petrified at the time and was forced to watch. With a start, I realized that he had created a horcrux, and I knew exactly what it looked like. He had used a staff, which now had a mark on it to show it was a horcrux. So I knew exactly what to look for as well. And I found it. He had hidden it in a place of high significance to him: his place of birth. A book that I had also uncovered on very dark arts, and the element of horcruxes, was instrumental to me. I knew how to destroy it." Dumbledore took a breath and then continued.

"However, there was a catch. A horcrux, when the item is destroyed, will release the piece of soul it holds. That piece will then attempt to recombine with the original soul, if it is near. If it is not, then it will attempt to possess the nearest person or animal. So I knew, that when the horcrux was destroyed, that his soul would attempt to possess me. In the worst-case scenario, it would enter my body, and I would be forced to destroy whatever it entered, if I wished to be able to kill the owner of the soul. Otherwise, the soul would have just stayed within me, merged with my own over time, and the possibility would exist that his soul would be able to take control of mine. But Grindelwald would stay immortal until I died and released the soul. Because when the person dies, the soul is released and goes to the veil. Then, say for example it had entered my arm, I would be forced to use a complex spell, which would in essence kill, my arm. The unfortunate side effect however, is that the death of my arm would stay with me. It would slowly eat away myself, until I died. The best defense I would have would be to of course, put a stopper on death, but I know of no one as of yet who would be able to accomplish that. And even then, that would just prolong the inevitable. The other option I had of course was when the soul came out to destroy the soul itself. That would be with the same complex spell I would have to use if it entered my body. Aside from that spell, short of having a dementor kiss me or creating a horcrux of my own, the soul would be free. Making a horcrux of my own would only rid it from myself, not destroy it, so that would not work. A dementor kissing me was also unacceptable, because I would be gone as well. Although the dementor would suck out Grindelwald's soul and destroy it, my soul would be sucked up and destroyed as well, which is something that I would not want to have happen to me." Dumbledore made another pause, as he reflected on his words.

"So the spell was my only chance, my only defense. After a simple reductor curse to destroy the object, the soul came out of the horcrux I had just destroyed, and I quickly waved my wand in one circle, followed by a stab through the center, and a sweep of my wand, with the nonverbal incantation _attero animus, _a difficult spell to complete at the best of times, under no pressure, and the spell must be cast nonverbally, otherwise, it won't work. I quickly did the circle, followed by the jab. The soul began to descend upon me, and I was able to finish the sweep, followed almost simultaneously by the incantation, and destroyed it because of my fast reflexes and able limbs. Had I been older, I shudder to think what would have happened. I was able to destroy that piece of his soul, without suffering any side effects or having the soul enter me."

"I then of course went back after Grindelwald, and noticed he was currently possessing a man who had been kissed by a dementor in an earlier attack. It was highly interesting, if I had the time to think about it. But I didn't have time. I had to act. My hand had been forced, and it was my move. We circled each other, staring, glaring, taunting. I was forced to vanquish him. I invoked an ancient magic. It initiated Priori Incantatum first. We were locked in the golden dome, and forced to push the beads of magic this way and that. When I finally forced the beads into his wand, the reverse of the spells he had performed appeared. Bodies began to reappear. I concentrated with all my might, trained my wand on him while nonverbally performing the spell _debello atrum senior ex is regnum, _and wrenched my wand away at the end of the incantation. I then moved my wand in an arc and stabbed it forward. Then, to my surprise, he began to fight me for my body. He possessed me, in short, as he had before to others. We struggled once more, a battle of wills. But then, my love surged up inside me, and it forced him out and his soul, no longer rooted to this realm, disappeared in a wisp of smoke. I had succeeded in my quest to vanquish Grindelwald. I then collapsed into the ground. It was then that a phoenix, Fawkes, came to me. He healed me. There was one part of the spell that required a sacrifice on my part. Had it not been for Fawkes…I have no idea what he did, but it did save me from having to fulfill my sacrifice. The sacrifice I would have had to make… But it is irrelevant, because none of that matters anymore. I am here and am safe for the time being."

"Wow Albus. What a story." Aberforth was breathless, as was Albus.

"A thrilling tale, wouldn't you say? But it has taken too much out of me. I am off to return the book I borrowed from the Black's, and I shall return to Hogwarts. My students need me. Good day Aberforth."

"You too Albus."

Aberforth returned back to the present, and stared at the man reading the book that his brother had returned to the Blacks, so long ago. He stared at the man in the black cloak, who was still reading the book. Eventually, he stood up, and seemed to look around, as if trying to decide what to do. Aberforth watched him as he walked up the stairs, pausing at the prophecy room, as Aberforth had christened it, and walking back and forth, almost willing himself to remember something, it seemed like. Aberforth looked on, interested at what was taking place. The man seemed to shake his head from time to time, and then barricaded himself in the room.

Aberforth gave a sigh and continued once again on the bottle. The door to the pub swung open once again and permitted a woman to enter.

"Minerva, what a surprise. Would you like something to drink?" Aberforth asked cordially.

"No thank you Abe. I'm perfectly fine. I was just coming to ask you, -"

"If I would be willing to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year?"

"I, how did you know?"

"Albus had asked me almost a year ago. I had of course, readily agreed. But it seems as if you are also going to be lacking a Transfiguration teacher as well."

"Yes, that's true. Well in that case, did you have someone in mind?"

"I'm sorry Minerva, but I don't. What about you?"

"Well, there is one person I had in mind…"

"And who might that be?"

"A Miss Fleur Delacour, soon to be Weasley. She attended Beauxbatons."

"That sounds like a splendid choice. Go ahead and ask her then."

"Oh alright. I hadn't wanted to but it seems like I don't have much of a choice. It is so hard to find new teachers; I don't know how Albus did it. I am glad to know my staffing problems are complete then. I will also need a head of Gryffindor house…" McGonagall mused out loud.

"It normally comes with the Transfiguration post doesn't it?" Abe asked.

"Well, yes, but-" McGonagall began hesitantly.

"Then give it to Fleur if she takes the job." Aberforth said, as if it was the simplest decision in the world.

"But- oh alright. That's settled then. I'm off to go ask her. Take care of yourself Abe," McGonagall replied, smiling slightly.

"Sure thing," Aberforth said and gave her a polite nod on her way out.

After that, Professor McGonagall left, the door swinging shut behind her. Aberforth stared expectantly upstairs and saw the man in the cloak come back down. He walked towards his suitcase and picked it up, then walked back up to his room again. Aberforth heard a loud noise, a bang, and then heard something fall to the floor. He sighed and strolled purposefully upstairs to check on the man and saw his wand pointing skyward, and the man on the floor, knocked out. He gave another sigh and muttered "you know, you do deserve this for doing all that on your own. I should just leave you here. But I won't," Aberforth said to the air. He cast an _enervate _and looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"We're good. Thanks a lot Aberforth."

"Anytime, it's the least that I can do. Up you get now." He helped the man to stand and walked back to his bar, his earlier anger forgotten.

The man came back down the stairs, every other stair creaking, and his cloak swept behind him. He nodded once to Aberforth and walked towards the door.

"Good day to you Aberforth. Please, do stay in touch."

"I will. Good-bye, Regulus."

_You finished reading, now click on submit review._


	2. Ditching the Dursleys

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 2: Ditching the Dursleys

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry ponders his situation on his last day at Privet Drive, learns about the Dursleys some more, and has a Death Eater encounter.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Hello everyone. Good to see you back. I hope chapter one cleared up a few questions you all had after HBP. It did leave a few questions up in the air. That should have settled a couple big ones. Now we are in Harry's POV and will more than likely be that way until the end. Here for your entertainment is chapter two: Ditching the Dursleys._

When you are waiting for something, it always seems to take longer than normal, and when you are dreading something, it always seem to rush up and take hold of you. For Harry Potter, he seemed to be in limbo: neither here nor there. He was a teenage boy of sixteen, waiting, like any other normal boy, for his birthday, which would be in just one more day. But he had mixed feelings. Both happy and sad, because once he turned 17, it was all over. Everything. He would be on the run. That was where he differed from other boys of his age, other normal boys, because, Harry Potter was a wizard, and 'a thumpin good one' too. He had attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for six years, each year more adventurous than the last.

He was currently sitting on the steps to Number Four Privet Drive, willing time to act as he wished. Many thoughts were swirling through his head, and Harry now understood the words of his mentor and friend, the late Albus Dumbledore. 'Have you ever had too many thoughts in your head?' An interesting question, from an interesting man. Harry truly missed Professor Dumbledore. He had been forced to watch him die; something no one should be forced to see. Not only did he die, he was murdered in front of Harry's eyes, not too long ago. Feeling the monster roar up inside him, Harry was furious once more. Severus Snape, his hated ex-potions/Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, had killed Dumbledore, just like that. Harry still could picture startlingly clearly the look of hatred and revulsion that had seemed to permanently grace the face of the murderer.

So many things had come to pass last year, Harry mused. He still held the image of the funeral in his head. When he had broken up with Ginny, told her it was for her own good. Being noble, something that Harry would always be no matter what was both blessing and curse. Harry then looked back on his two best friends, bushy-haired Hermione Granger and redhead Ron Weasley. He wondered if their relationship would change. He had thought they would get their act together and start dating, but that didn't happen. He supposed he would find out after his birthday, when they planned to have Bill, Ron's older brother, and Fleur Delacour's wedding. That would involve seeing Ginny again though. Harry didn't know if he was ready for that. Because he definitely still held feelings for her, and knew that if she kept feelings for him since before she knew him, that she still had them too.

But for now, he was in the eye of the storm. Once he turned seventeen, that was it. He would become of age, the protections that Dumbledore had painstakingly provided for him for the past sixteen years would vanish, and he would have to fulfill his destiny. He would avenge the death of his parents; defeat Lord Voldemort. Before, Voldemort had just seemed unreal, but Harry had seen him and fought him firsthand in his fourth year. Seeing him up close and personal did a lot to alleviate any fear he might have had bottled up inside. Once you fought the man, it was hard to be terrified of him. Of course, Harry had fought him again the following year. Not much of a fight, Harry thought grimly. He didn't even do anything, Voldemort just cast an Avada Kedavra at him, the killing curse, the same killing curse that had dispatched so many witches and wizards, the same killing curse that had failed the fateful night of Halloween at Godric's Hollow when Harry was just one, the same killing curse that had stripped Voldemort of his body, and the same killing curse that would later kill Albus Dumbledore. Harry always wondered what his life could be like if it were normal. He had had a couple of blissful weeks with Ginny, a small taste of what could have been. Harry wondered what he would have to do to defeat Voldemort. It wasn't because he had to, as Dumbledore had pointed out to him. It was because he, Harry, would not rest until Voldemort was killed, and the same went for Voldemort, which made it pretty clear that one of them would 'die at the hand of the other' as was fated to be. But, like Harry had decided before, there was a big difference, because Harry chose to go after Voldemort, and it made all the difference in the world.

And that was what brought him to now. He was trying to plan how to kill Tom Riddle, the infamous Dark Lord. He would have to find Tom's horcruxes. Dumbledore had said his soul was split into seven pieces, one of which resided in Riddle's body. The other six, Harry was currently looking at on his notebook paper. The diary, which Harry had destroyed in his second year after it had possessed Ginny, was one piece of his soul. The second piece, resided in Tom's grandfather's ring, an heirloom of Salazar Slytherin, on of the founders of Harry's school, Hogwarts. Dumbledore had destroyed that one after Harry's fifth year, at the cost of his right hand. Which left four. The locket that belonged to Slytherin, which had originally been in a cave Riddle had frequented, but was taken by the mysterious R.A.B. before Harry and Dumbledore arrived at the cave. Harry had no idea who R.A.B. was, where the locket could be, or even if it was still a horcrux. The next piece was in a cup belonging to Helga Hufflepuff, another founder. Harry had no idea where that could be. The next horcrux was supposed to be Nagini, Voldemort's pet snake, whom he had a strong connection with. Harry remembered the time he had dreamed of being in the snake while it attacked Mr. Weasley. Harry had watched Dumbledore fiddle with his many instruments to confirm his story.

With a start, Harry stood up, books falling off his lap and his chair falling down and hitting the floor. Harry understood what that instrument had been doing. It had split into two snakes. That must have meant that when Harry was there, two pieces of Voldemort's soul were there as well. One was Voldemort himself, which was how he had realized Harry was there. The other must have been Nagini. That confirmed it then.

Harry sat back down after picking up the overturned chair and returned to his musings. That left one horcrux, an item that belonged to either Rowena Ravenclaw or Godric Gryffindor, the two remaining founders that had yet to be covered. He figured it would be something of Ravenclaw's, but he didn't know. It was, after all, just a guess. Ron and Hermione had insisted on coming home with him, and the last couple weeks had been very eventful. They had left for now, back to Ron's house, to get some things. He had finally conceded to letting them come along, realizing there was no getting rid of either Ron or Hermione. They were with him all the way. He didn't know what he did to deserve friends like them.

Harry heard a sound, someone walking up the stairs, because he heard the step that he jumped out of habit begin to creak. He drew his wand and pointed it expectantly towards his door. When Harry's door opened, out popped Dudley Dursley, the fattest slob of a cousin anyone could ever ask for. His resemblance to a pig was striking, as Harry often thought. He looked very nervous, hopping from one foot to the other, wringing his hands fiercely, and keeping his butt firmly glued to the wall. His pudgy face darted across the room, and rested warily on the tip of Harry's wand. His appearance was comical, and Harry felt almost sorry for him. _Almost._ This was still the same boy that had made Harry's life a living nightmare for a decade. So Harry's pity only went so far.

"Well Dudders? Spit it out already?" Dudley looked very much like something was going to come out of his mouth, but it definitely didn't look like words.

"Mu-mum says you're to come down and eat, and that then you have to do your chores because you haven't done them and- DON'T POINT THAT AT ME!"

"You know Dudley, I really couldn't care less what Aunt Petunia says. So no, I don't think so. Why are you scared Dudley, a little magic never hurt anybody."

"Y-you di-di-didn't see what I did that night." Harry knew immediately that Dudley had been talking about the night the dementors attacked. Dementors, thought Harry, were scary creatures all right. Bad piece of business. They sucked out all the happiness out of a room. Made it very cold. And you would relive your worst nightmares. For Harry, that had been horrible. He had heard the night his parents had died to save him. In a kind of morbid fascination, Harry had listened, because it was the first time he could remember hearing his parents. Dudley had been with him one night, well not really with him, Harry had been taunting him, looking for someone to vent on back in his fifth year. However, they came upon a couple of dementors. Muggles like Dudley couldn't see dementors, so Dudley had no idea what was going on. Harry had fought them off, but Dudley had collapsed. Harry had always been curious as to what the pampered little bully Dudley saw from the dementors, and now he would find out.

"Alright then Dudley, what did _you_ see?"

"It was ho-horrible. Saw myself grow a pig's tail again." Harry laughed at that. That had been Hagrid, the half-giant groundskeeper at Hogwarts on Harry's eleventh birthday when he rescued him from the Dursleys and Harry had discovered his identity. Hagrid had later tried to turn Dudley into a pig but only a tail was the difference.

"What else was there Duddykins?"

"I- I saw a, a letter."

"A letter Dudley? What's so scary about a letter?"

"It was a letter to that freak school of yours."

"What! You got a letter to Hogwarts?" But that was it, Dudley ran out of the room and would not listen to Harry's calls. How could Dudley possibly get accepted into Hogwarts? The closest thing he had to magic at all besides Harry was his mother, Harry's mother's sister. She was the sister of a muggleborn witch. And Dudley was her son. But could that make him a wizard? No, impossible. Dudley had to have been mistaken. There was no way Dudley could have gone to Hogwarts. Harry just couldn't believe it. Hogwarts was his. It was his home. Dudley couldn't ruin it for him. Harry went down stairs after locking his door, hopped the creaky step, and entered the kitchen.

"Harry, come here. You need to help cook this." Harry approached his Aunt, more out of curiosity then anything else. It was ironic that they tried to prevent Harry from doing magic and failed, and didn't prevent Dudley when he succeeded. Except obviously, Dudley had opted not to go, a reason Harry could understand because it was Dudley, but could not understand anyone else doing. Harry stared at his Aunt again. He began cooking bacon for the breakfast, his Aunt hovering over him, making sure he didn't mess up. She whispered into Harry's ear.

"After breakfast you are to do your chores. And then, we need to talk." Harry looked up from the bacon and stared questioningly at her. She could not meet his eyes, Harry's mother's eyes, and looked away. Out of shock, Harry had splattered himself with bacon grease and swore under his breath.

After he had finished breakfast, his Aunt quickly swept the food away before he could get anything else besides the meager portion he had been served. Harry went outside into the fresh air and began on his seemingly endless chores. The only thought in Harry's head that kept him sane was that fact that it was just for one more day. Tonight at midnight, that was it. Harry would be seventeen. He would be of age. He couldn't wait. Then, he would pursue 'that flighty temptress, adventure' as Dumbledore so aptly called it. He had a lot on his shoulders, more than anyone should probably have, but that was how it had always been. In a strange twist, the way the Dursleys had treated him had actually made it easier for Harry to accomplish what he had to do, kill Voldemort. Harry wasn't sure if he was capable of killing someone. But he knew for a fact Voldemort deserved it. And Severus Snape. Harry would never forgive him. First, for putting him through everything he had in the past six years, which included goading Sirius, because that made Sirius leave Grimmauld Place and eventually led him to his death, falling through the veil.

Harry had dreams of what lay beyond the veil. He used to sit awake at night and just stare at the ceiling, stare through the ceiling almost. He could picture the heavens above him, and he would dream of Sirius. He didn't dream as much of his parents because he hadn't really known them. After all, they had only had a year together. All he had seen was pictures, and an image of them in the Mirror of Erised, a magical mirror that revealed to you your heart's greatest desire. To Harry, when he had seen it in his first year, it had been something he had never had: a loving family. Harry had obtained that now though, through the Weasleys. Sirius had always been there for him too, but no longer. And Sirius was whom he thought about now. He pictured him just beyond the veil, calling Harry's name, whispering, just like the other voices he had heard beyond the veil. He could almost picture another world there, in that mysterious veil located in the heart of the Department of Mysteries where Harry and his friends had gone in his fifth year, trying to save Sirius but ended up getting him killed at the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry had even tried to cast an unforgivable that day, a thought that sometimes haunted him, but he knew she deserved it, her and Snape, for killing Sirius and Dumbledore.

Harry would often dream of seeing Sirius again. It would get very detailed and vivid. Harry would be reunited with Sirius, and together they would go off on one adventure or another. Those had been nice dreams, depressing, but nice. Harry had finally shaken them off, because Dumbledore had said that it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, another piece of advice Dumbledore had parted to Harry.

Harry looked around and noticed his feet had taken him to the park. He hadn't been paying attention; he had been lost in his own thoughts. He sat down in a swing, the lone swing that had survived the destruction of Dudley and his gang. Harry absentmindedly pushed off from the ground, and let himself move back and forth, rocking in the wind. He just stared at the sky, wondering what lay out there for him. Four horcruxes, they could be anywhere, and R.A.B. the mysterious horcrux hunter. Harry had a lot to think about. He just sat there for hours. Harry had completely lost track of time. He just stared forward, not really looking at anything, but looking at everything just the same. The wind picked up, moving Harry's hairaround a bit and his bangs were moved to reveal his scar, the scar that had started everything. His scar had always fascinated Harry. It was almost like it wasn't a part of him. He traced the faint lightning bolt shape and thought back on everything it symbolized: the first destruction of Voldemort, the love from his parents and their sacrifices to save him. It represented his fame and fortune, and most importantly his mission, because he had been 'marked by the Dark Lord as his equal.'

Harry thought he heard some leaves rustling and heard a twig snap faintly, but Harry was still too lost in his thoughts to notice or even care. He just reflected on how everyone he loved had died for him. That was why he had broken up with Ginny; he hadn't wanted her to meet the same fate. It really wasn't fair at all. But when had life ever been fair to Harry. When it finally gave him something, it always took something else away. The only things he was really truly grateful for were Hermione and the Weasleys. They were the only ones still with him. Harry shook himself. He didn't want to be depressed. Dumbledore wouldn't want him too. And besides, he was 'Dumbledore's man through and through' and he had a job to do. He couldn't be depressed. Everyone was counting on him. He was really all that stood between Voldemort and the world. The last ray of hope. The last glimmer of sunshine. The final candle that remained lit, prevailing over the darkness.

Harry looked up, and noticed that he was standing in the darkness. He looked around and started walking home, kicking an empty soda can along the street, with his hands in his pockets, just staring at the ground. He went to kick the can again and missed, so he stopped and kicked it. When he stopped, he saw a red beam of light fly past him, where he would have stood. Harry spun and ducked, watching a blue beam of light fly over him as well. He looked around, trying to find out who was after him. He saw a shadow to his left and fired a stunner. "_Stupefy,_" Harry shouted. Harry watched in satisfaction as the man fell onto the floor with a thud. Harry began to walk towards the now stunned man, and leaned down to look at him. He was in a black cloak and had a hood.

"Worthless Death Eater," Harry muttered after kicking him. He got a good look at the man's face before snapping his wand. It was Avery.

Harry sighed and snapped the man's wand. He turned to head to Magnolia Crescent and his batty old neighbor Arabella Figg, a squib, whose fireplace he could use to alert someone of the death eater who attacked him. She would be of no use since she was a squib and was incapable of magic, but she at least had contact with the Wizarding World. Harry began to walk towards her house, leaving his back to the body, and never saw the spell that hit him on the side of the head. He fell onto the ground, petrified, frighteningly reminiscent of the last time he had seen Dumbledore die on the Astronomy tower.

_Leave a review now you guys._


	3. Happy Seventeenth

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 3: Happy Seventeenth

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry escapes, has a nice conversation with his aunt, gets away to the Burrow, and has fun at his party.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Well guys, it's been awhile, glad to see you are still here. Sorry about that cliffhanger, I just needed a place to stop. This chapter should end on a happier note. So without further ado, I submit for your entertainment, Chapter 3, Happy Seventeenth._

Harry stared at the man walking towards him now. He sauntered towards Harry, too sure of himself to pay attention to anything else.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here; if it isn't Harry Potter, the Boy who lived for sometime before he was later killed by the Dark Lord." The man smiled at Harry. Unable to move, Harry could only stare.

"Do you remember me Potter? I dare say it has been awhile." The man pulled his head back, and Harry saw the silvery hair framing the face of Lucius Malfoy.

"It is high time I take you to the Dark Lord, Potter." Malfoy, _enervated _Avery, and the two walked towards Harry cautiously. "_Portus_" Malfoy said and stared at Harry with a look of utmost loathing etched on his face. Avery went to grab Harry and give him the portkey, but an invisible force seemed to surge through Harry, and Avery was thrown back. He hit the ground hard and was knocked out again. Harry tried to laugh before remembering he was under the _petrificus totalis_ spell, but was shocked to hear his snort of laughter escape into the night air.

Malfoy stared at him in shock, trying to figure out what had just happened, and failing miserably at it. Harry slowly pulled himself to his feet. He looked at the sky and figured it was around eleven. He had about an hour before his birthday. Malfoy confirmed it for him by swearing profusely.

"Avery! You were an hour early. Don't you ever pay attention? We were to wait until midnight. You've gone and blown it now!" Malfoy stared at Avery, clearly infuriated, and apparated on the spot. Avery had regained consciousness, but before he could do anything, was hit by a stunner and returned to the ground once more. Harry turned around, eyeing the new intruder warily.

Harry saw it was a young blond woman who looked like a total stranger, yet vaguely familiar at the same time. He realized that he had a throbbing scar and a sore back from the semi-duel. He looked around, rubbing his head, and stared at where he was. 'What happened?' he thought. And then the small fight came rushing back to him once more, as he tried to comprehend what just happened. He looked around and noticed the strange woman he had never met before. She was staring at him with interest. Harry stared at her, and noticed she still had her wand in her hand. He quickly chanted '_expelliarmus_' nonverbally and watched in satisfaction as the witches' wand flew into his hand.

"Oh! Wotcher Harry, didn't notice you stand up," cried the cheerful witch.

"Tonks?" Harry asked incredulously.

"How may I help you?" she asked cheekily.

"What happened?"

"Well, I was coming over to check up on you, because Remus wanted to make sure you were going to the wedding and all and he really missed you and hadn't seen you in a while so he told me to come check and when I did I saw you get knocked out so I stunned the guy and that's where we are now." She said all this very fast; Harry had trouble understanding.

"You are allowed to breath once in awhile Tonks, what are you so high-strung about?" Harry asked curiously.

"The wedding. I get really emotional over weddings." Tonks' hair changed from the unfamiliar blond to a mousy brown as if to prove her point.

"Are you ok though Harry?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"Huh, yeah, I'm fine," he muttered dismissively with a wave of his hand.

"Well come on, it's nearly your birthday, we need to get you packed and out to the Burrow," she said.

"Actually, let me just go tomorrow morning. I'll spend the night. It is after all the last night, and it looks like there's still some protection here. It would be best, after all, I promised Dumbledore I would."

"Ok then. Till tomorrow Harry." With a small pop, Tonks disapparated, Avery in tow. Harry trudged back up the steps and headed back to his room.

Harry flopped onto his bed and stared at what had become his one escape from the nightmare that was the Dursleys. He moved around to pass the time by, gathering all of his possessions, which had not moved very much as he rarely unpacked at Privet Drive, and succeeded in squishing it all into his trunk. Harry then pried up the loose floorboard and proceeded to snack on some chocolate frogs from Ron, while he waited for Hedwig to come back from hunting and for Harry to turn seventeen. He stared at the clock Dudley had broken and therefore put in Harry's room, which still worked although the glass was now shattered.

As it neared twelve, Harry felt something inside him. Apprehension, excitement? Harry didn't know. It continued to grow in his stomach. Then, it struck twelve. Harry was seventeen. He jumped in the air to land on his bed, but hit it sideways and fell onto the floor with a thud. He got up, gingerly rubbing his head and walked downstairs for some water. To Harry's surprise, the Dursleys were up.

"Isn't today the day you leave boy?" asked his Uncle Vernon.

"Yes," replied Harry, staring at his relatives.

"So I get my room back now, right Mum?" asked Dudley, staring expectantly, as if he was a dog who was about to receive a particularly nice treat.

"Yes my little Duddykins, Harry won't be here anymore. Why don't you go pack the things you want to move back in there?" Dudley ran up the stairs as fast as his pudgy little legs would carry him.

Harry stared at his Aunt expectantly, remembering she had wanted a word with him. But his Uncle wouldn't let that happen anytime soon.

"Who's coming to pick you up boy! Or are you just going to walk the streets now? Because we are done with you. I have had it up to here with your nonsense, all your ruddy magic tricks, crazy friends who threaten the safety of me and my family, a murderer chasing after you and I especially hate- ALL THESE RUDDY OWLS!"

During Uncle Vernon's rant, two owls had swooped in form the kitchen and headed towards the three of them. Harry went to reach for them, but they went to his Aunt Petunia. Harry stared at her. She hesitantly opened the letters and began to read. Vernon ran upstairs, muttering about crackpot teachers and how owls should go kill themselves, or something to that effect. Petunia finished reading the letters and handed them both to Harry, then quietly exited the room, returning to drop a parcel into Harry's lap as he read the letters.

_Petunia,_

_Thank you for taking care of Harry for all these years. As you know, the protection has now worn off. Harry is on his own now, as I told you in our previous meeting. All that is left for you to do to complete your half of the bargain, that we didn't invite Dudley to attend Hogwarts, is to give Harry the letter from 16 years ago, and that should be it. Thank you once again._

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts_

_Chief Wigwamp of the Wizengambot_

_Order of Merlin, first class_

The second letter was addressed to Harry.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We at Gringotts are pleased to inform you that due to your seventeenth birthday, you have now come into the possession of the Potter family vault. We would be more than happy to handle it with you and to complete any and all transactions necessary at your leisure. Yours in fortune,_

_Ragnok_

Harry then proceeded to open the parcel given to him by his Aunt. In it were his baby clothes he had worn the day he had come to their house, along with a letter from Dumbledore.

_Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,_

_I am sorry to be the barer of bad news, but your sister Lily Rose Potter and her husband James Harry Potter were murdered yesterday around midnight. Their child, your nephew, is still alive however. Harry James Potter, now known as the boy who lived, will be living in your care until he turns eleven, at which he will be sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to study magic. I have invoked some protection for Harry that can only be sealed by him being taken into the care of his mother's relations; otherwise, I would taken him in myself. He will be protected as long as he stays with you, and in turn your family will be equally protected, because Harry cannot be touched there, and anyone who attempts to do him harm shall be prevented from doing so by the magic I have invoked. Please treat him as you would your own child, and help him through the next ten years of his life, until we shall take watch over him. I will contact you myself if I feel the need to. Thank you for taking Harry in, you will not regret it._

Harry looked at his Aunt expectantly.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." His Aunt sighed.

"What would you like to know?"

"For starters, why did you hate me and my mum so much, and what happened to my grandparents?"

"Your grandparents, they were killed; by dementors. That's how I knew what they were. Your father, James, was talking to Lily about them, and how they had killed our parents. I overheard. That was the last straw; I separated completely with the magical world until you. I hated magic; it was because of magic I no longer had parents. And well, with Lily, well, err, you see, the thing is, Lily was always the one to get everything, she was the younger one, I was born in September, she in August the following year. She was the baby of the family, it was always Lily this, Lily that. I always see her in you, because of your eyes. Then, one day, a man visited and told our parents how Lily was magical and she would be going to a magical school, if she wished. Lily was ecstatic. As a side thought, my parents asked about me, and to my surprise, they said that I was also accepted. They handed us both our letters, and asked if we would like to go. Lily of course said yes, and my parents were thrilled. I, however, refused." Harry's Aunt plowed on, oblivious to Harry's goldfish like mouth, which opened and closed, soundlessly mouthing incoherent words.

"I kept the letter though. I think Dudley saw it once. He was really shocked. I have actually done accidental magic once or twice, of course you were here too so I believed it was you, but Dumbledore explained it to me. He was a nice enough guy once you get to know him. How is he?"

"He- he's dead." Harry said it, and once the words left his lips, he really, truly, believed it. The impact of it all hit him, while he was sitting in his Aunt's living room, at 12:30 in the morning, on his birthday. He would never see his twinkling eyes, or hear his words of wisdom, or of confidence. Harry looked up from the floor, eyes glistening, to stare at his Aunt who, to Harry's surprise, was having a similar reaction.

"Dead? Not Dumbledore." At Harry's nod, she broke.

"Now what will happen?"

"It's all up to me." For some strange reason, Harry was always able to speak plainly to his Aunt and Uncle about magical things, like when Dudley had been attacked; Harry's two worlds had seemed to merge. It was happening more frequently as time passed.

"What do you mean up to you? What can you possibly do against that man that murdered Lily?" Harry was surprised that she was able to say her sister's name in a tone that wasn't hostile.

"I have done a few things…"

"Like what? What have you possibly done at that school that can compare?"

Harry began to count on his fingers. "Well let's see. First year, saved the philosopher's stone from Voldemort, you know the guy that killed my mum and dad, then second year, killed a basilisk, that's like a fifty foot long snake that kills you if you look him in the eyes, petrifies you if you see its eyes reflection, and has poisonous fangs, third year, saved my godfather from dementors, the ones that attacked Dudley, fourth year, won a tournament, saw Voldemort come back to life, dueled him, and got away, fifth year, fought off some death eaters in the Ministry of Magic, found out I'm the only person who can kill Voldemort, and last year, went with Dumbledore on an adventure to try and kill Voldemort, held off some inferi, those are like zombies from Dudley's video games, and really that's about it. I'm sure there's more, like putting up with Dudley for sixteen years, but that is pretty much the main bit. Welcome to my world," Harry finished, mock-dramatically.

His Aunt looked shocked. But what shocked him more is that she walked over to Harry, and gave him a hug: the first bit of affection the Dursleys had ever bestowed upon Harry in all the sixteen years he had been with them.

"Take care of yourself Harry. And, Happy Birthday." She shed one tear, and then went upstairs to her room. Harry, however, stayed glued to his chair, still trying to understand everything he had heard. His Aunt was capable of magic. That was the first, most important piece. It was her letter Dudley had seen, not his own. That, Harry definitely didn't see coming. He also felt bad for his grandparents, even though he never knew them at all. Harry walked back up the stairs to his room, and sat on his bed, pondering everything that had happened. He didn't know when he fell asleep, but heard voices dragging him out of consciousness.

"You think?"

"Not yet Ron quiet. I'm trying to find it."

"Well hurry up Ginny, we haven't got all day."

"Does it look like I'm going slow?" Harry distinctly heard a slap pierce the air.

"Ouch! That hurt."

"Shhh! Ron, we aren't ready to surprise him yet."

"Hermione, Ginny _slapped_ me, and you are-"

"Just gonna stand here because you were rude and deserved it. Honestly Ron, sometimes I don't understand why I- Harry! Wake up! Forget about the surprise. Ron ruined it."

Harry slowly lifted himself out of bed to see the beaming faces of his three friends, Ron Weasley, his very first friend ever, Hermione Granger, the muggleborn know-it-all, and Ginny Weasley, Harry's love and ex-girlfriend, also younger sister to Ron. They all smiled at him.

"Happy Birthday Harry," they chorused. Harry sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked at Hermione, and noticed her wand out. She sent a spell at Harry, non-verbally, and to Harry's dismay it turned out to be _aguamenti. _Harry was now soaked to the bone, shivering in his bed, now fully awake and understandably angry.

"Hermione," Harry began indignantly through gritted teeth, "Why – did – you – do – that," Harry spoke slowly, accenting each syllable. He was still cold from the water, but now wide-awake. He slowly advanced on his best friend, but was stopped by Ginny.

"Now that you're awake," Ginny began suggestively. Harry turned his emerald eyes on her, half-surprised and half-comically, as he watched her lean in and kiss him full on the lips, reminiscent of their first kiss in the common room, only Ginny was kissing him, not the other way around.

"Well, now THAT is a birthday present." Harry let loose the smile he was trying to hide as Ginny blushed an interesting shade of crimson. Ron looked like he was trying not to laugh, or else strangle Harry,he wasn't sure which, while Hermione was waiting patiently.

"Hem – hem," Hermione coughed.

Harry spun around, and saw Hermione stifling a giggle, before he gave her a look that plainly said, just wait, before stalking off to get his trunk.

"Well, what are you waiting for, are you ready to leave this house or are you wanting to stay with the Dursleys? If you are, be warned, nothing can prepare you for the horrors within. You two have already seen how they've been somewhat, but Ginny, you have no idea." Harry stated this all quite seriously, in a deep voice. Ron and Ginny smirked, while Hermione began laughing hysterically.

"You sounded like a movie preview guy," she choked out through fits of laughter.

Harry suppressed a smile, while Ron and Ginny looked confused. Harry quickly explained to them what a movie was and the four shared a nice laugh. Ron and Hermione apparated to the Burrow. Harry looked around his room one last time, taking it in, and quickly forgetting it. He would never be coming back. All of those painful memories would be gone, buried. This was it. Harry turned to see Ginny staring at him, concern evident in her gaze. He gave her a small smile, held out his arm and said goodbye forever to Privet Drive. Then, they apparated away to the Burrow, with Ginny side-apparating along with Harry even though he wasn't really legally able to do so yet. It didn't matter though because he had done it before with Dumbledore. They popped into the Burrow, and everyone screamed at Harry.

"Happy Birthday Harry!" Harry's eyes went wide as he saw all the people looking at him. All the Weasleys (except Percy, who was still a giant prat and hadn't apologized after the family argument) were beaming at him, and began to bombard him with presents, the twins, Fred and George, leading the way. Harry soon found himself immersed in pleasurable company.

"Well, open it dear," said Mrs. Weasley after she gave him a bone-crushing hug and handed him a beautifully wrapped present. Harry was more than happy to comply. When he opened his present, it revealed a new watch, and it was a beautiful watch too. Harry gave her a huge hug and immediately put it on. She beamed at him. He went on to Ron's gifts, which were some more chocolate frogs to replenish his stock, plus a Chudley Cannons sweatshirt. Hermione gave him a book called _The Art of Non-verbal Incantations, _which Harry knew he would have to read and become familiar with to have a prayer against Voldemort. Harry gave her a peck on the cheek. From Ginny, Harry got a beautiful photo album, and in it were pictures of her and Harry's first kiss from the common room, most likely taken by Colin, pictures of he, Ron, and Hermione from the years past, along with Ginny, and other pictures that were of Harry and his friends. Harry knew right away that this was the best gift he could ever ask for, and also knew that if he so much as looked at the fiery redhead he had come to love with all his heart, he would never be able to say no to her ever again.

Harry quickly averted his eyes after giving a hearty thanks to Ginny for her excellent gift and began to rummage through the rest of his presents. From Charlie, he received some dragon hide boots that fit comfortably. Bill gave him a bag from Gringotts that he could pull money out of whenever he wanted, and it would come straight from his account into his hand. Only Harry's hand could go in it too, because it was customized for him. Fred handed him a box of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and George smiled at him benignly and told him to open it. When he did, a cloud of smoke came out of the box, enveloping Harry completely. He looked inside the rest of it and saw a ring that was an emergency portkey straight to their office according to the note, some canary creams, dung bombs, a knife like the one given to him by Sirius, a wand holster, and a dragon hide vest to wear under his shirt. (It's basically a shield charm, and it looks nice too, said Fred.) From Lupin, Harry got a diary of all the pranks the marauders had ever pulled. Finally, the last present was also from the Weasleys. They put his name on their clock. Harry was overcome with emotion, but not before he noticed that Hermione's name was also up there. Harry's eyes were now full of tears, and he did the best he could to hold them in. He gave each Weasley a huge hug.

"You all have no idea how much this really means to me. I can now truly say that I have a family," Harry said.

"You've always been part of our family Harry, ever since that first day on the platform," Mrs. Weasley replied, eyes shining brightly.

Harry walked over to her and gave her a hug. The simple act of affection seemed to bring Mrs. Weasley to tears, and she brought Harry down with her. The tears spread faster than garroting gas, and everyone seemed to be sniffling in the background. Harry looked around at his new _family_. 'Wow,' Harry thought, because for once in his life, he could honestly say he understood the word family, and just everything it represented. And in that moment, Harry realized two crucial things. He loved these people, and if it meant that he would have to give his life up for them to have any chance at a happily ever after, he would do it. And the other thing was, never turn your back on a prankster. Harry was suddenly on the floor, rolling around, looking like he was on fire. His body was on fire, but from the inside out, because he was itching all over the place. Also, his hair had turned red, and he was sprouting red hair in very odd places. Like his ears. And his nose. Harry stared at the grinning faces of Fred and George, watched as they swooped down, each picking him up by the armpit, slapping him on the back, and declaring him 'a true Weasley.'

Harry had never felt that good in almost forever except maybe when he had his first kiss with Ginny. Unfortunately for Harry, he understood that in his life, when everything was perfect, it was because you overlooked something, or took something for granted. And at that precise moment, Harry found out what he took for granted. He hit the ground and began rolling again, but not because the Weasley twins had hit him with a spell that made him itch all over the place, but because of the almost unbearable pain on his forehead.

You did the reading, now review.


	4. Godric's Hollow

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 4: Godric's Hollow

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry has a vision, and is forced to show his hand earlier than he would like. The trio takes off to Godric's Hollow, and surprises abound.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

Disclaimer: Well guys, my apologies, I really did think it would end on a high note, but I had to pop that little scar attack in, its important. I am so sorry for the cliffhanger (well not really, it's an expression, but I digress.) I was planning on doing the wedding last chapter, but I took too long getting Harry out of Privet Drive. So here now, is the wedding, at least I hope. I take that back... We will not be seeing the wedding this chapter, repeat, we will not be seeing the wedding this chapter. My apologies. So I submit for your entertainment Chapter 4, Godric's Hollow.

Harry vaguely heard someone screaming his name. It was almost like he was either hearing an echo in the mountains, or else he was drowning underwater and could catch bits and pieces of what was going on, and, like with the _muffliato _spell, the words he heard made no sense. Harry felt like he was being pushed in on all sides, and when he fought to regain consciousness and break the surface, he felt Ginny's delicate hands giving him warmth and energy to fight. He finally made it out of his own subconscious and gasped for breath.

"Water," Harry croaked. Ginny conjured a cup, used the _aguamenti _spell, and handed it to Harry, her arm shaking all the while. He slowly drank some, and the water did what everything else could not; it brought Harry back to his senses. Unfortunately, he also remembered the vision he just had. The Order members pressed him for details, their wands already out and preparing to apparate at a moment's notice. Harry began to recount the tale.

"I saw him again, Voldemort. I don't know if he has stopped using Occlumency or else he really wanted me to see this. I think I may have to try and learn Occlumency and Legilimency. But all of that will come later." Harry noticed Remus giving him a strange look, but Harry ignored it for now.

"He was talking to Wormtail;" Harry spat out the name as if to hold it on his tongue was to poison himself. The room got a few degrees warmer as Harry began to pulsate with his magic. Harry however, wasn't the only one; Remus looked like he would tear the rat limb from limb. Harry took a breath to calm himself and continued.

"He was angry at Wormtail for something. It seemed like Wormtail had lost something, or forgotten something. I'm really not sure. But Wormtail was the only one who could get it. I think I know where itis but I'm not sure. Voldemort was saying something about how the object was left somewhere because of 'difficult circumstances' and Wormtail was irresponsible because he left it right there and just ran away. Now though, Voldemort needed it, and he told Wormtail to go and get it. Any ideas guys? Hermione?"

"Ummm. Harry?" Hermione asked tentatively. Harry saw her start to raise her hand into the air and catch herself. Harry laughed silently.

"Yes Hermione, I'm here," Harry said with subtle sarcasm, which Hermione promptly ignored.

"When you fought V-Voldemort- oh Ron get used to it- and your wands connected, you saw your parents right?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Harry said slowly.

"So that means that the wand Voldemort had was the wand that killed your parents right? And that _was_ Voldemort's wand?" Hermione asked to Harry again, virtually ignoring everyone else in the room. Harry could feel her escalating excitement, as it matched his level of confusion. He already understood what Wormtail had to do, but no idea how Hermione's questions were related to that.

"Yes," Harry said, equally slowly but with a trace of confusion. He had no idea where she was going with this.

"And Pettigrew gave it to him right?" she asked again, almost cutting Harry's answer off.

"Yeah," Harry said with a nod.

"So, when Voldemort attacked you when you were a baby, he was stripped from his body. So he would not be able to hold anything. So how did his wand leave Godric's Hollow? He didn't go back for it; Pettigrew had it for him in the Graveyard. That's what you just said."

"And that's important because?"

"Oh Harry don't you see? Pettigrew was with Voldemort when your parents were killed, and when Voldemort died, he took the wand and ran off."

"Oh!" Harry suddenly understood the importance of what she was saying. She had made the connection of Pettigrew being at Godric's Hollow that night the same way Harry had, but she had gotten there a different way. "And that means what he forgot was-"

"The intended-" Hermione cut him off.

"Hermione you are brilliant!" exclaimed Harry, not wanting her tosay the word horcrux, because he had told no one else of their plans yet.

"But wait, what about when Sirius saw him-" Harry began.

"But that was with his own wand, and he might have just transformed-" stated Hermione.

"And hid them somewhere, ok fine, but then that means-" said Harry.

"We have to go to Godric's Hollow. Now." Hermione stated emphatically, and looked around the room, finally noticing everyone else's confused looks.

Ron coughed to interrupt them. "Is anyone else as confused as I am, or am I wrong in saying that you two are the only ones who understand what you just said?"

"Honestly Ronald, if you would just pay attention for a minute you would know exactly what we were talking about," Hermione said as if she were talking to a person with the intellectual range of a teaspoon.

"Honestly Hermione, you never spoke a single sentence," Ron mimicked in a high-pitched voice.

"Think it's funny Ronald? Well you'll see. Harry, let's go." Hermione proceeded to grab Harry's arm and they were about to apparate before Harry turned around.

"Um, Hermione. I don't know how to get there."

"Oh, sorry Harry. Professor Lupin? Could you apparate Harry and I to Godric's Hollow? Quickly please."

"What about me Hermione?" moaned Ron.

"Oh alright fine!" Hermione snapped. "Just try not to be rude. I don't want to have to put up with you."

Ginny whined in the background. "Can't I go? It's always the three of you running off to who knows where. And you always leave me behind!" exclaimed Ginny.

"And I'm glad they do," interrupted Mrs. Weasley. "You aren't going Ginny."

"Muuuuummm," Ginny whined.

"No. You are staying and that's final. Ginevra Molly Weasley, do you understand? You will not go to Godric's Hollow. It's dangerous."

"Fine! But you need to learn that I'm not a little girl anymore." Ginny snapped. "I'm going to my room." With that, Ginny stomped off before glaring at Harry, who was thrown off by her hostility.

"Well, we'd best be off Mrs. Weasley," said Harry.

"I'll have them back before you know it Molly," Remus said, effectively calming Mrs. Weasley.

"Thank you Remus dear." Tonks ran over to him and kissed him, in front of everybody, then smiled larger than they had ever seen her smile in a long time. Remus blushed and side-apparated Hermione to Godric's Hollow. He returned to take Ron. Finally, it was he and Harry. They side-apparated together, Harry feeling the familiar whooshing feeling, and landed in a small village. Harry immediately noticed Ron and Hermione wandering around on the other side. Remus grabbed his arm and Harry turned to face him.

"Can you handle this Harry? This is going to be- more difficult than you could imagine. And why exactly did we have to hurry here anyway?" Worry laced Remus's voice, and Harry felt warmth spread through his body at the fact that someone truly cared for him because he was Harry Potter, not the boy-who-lived. Those people were hard to come by. They could be counted on two hands. Harry nodded in reassurance, and then realized Remus's situation.

"I'll explain fully later. Are you going to be ok though Remus?" Remus was shaken out of his reverie and looked at Harry questioningly.

"You have known them longer than I have, I'm sure this will be tougher on you than me. Will you be ok?" Harry asked Remus, concern evident. Harry noticed a tear slide down Remus's cheek as he wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled him into a hug.

"You really are more like James than you could possibly know Harry. I don't know how my life would be if it didn't have a Potter in it." Harry smiled and hugged Remus back. They walked towards Godric's Hollow, and Harry called for Hermione and Ron to follow.

"Uh, Harry?" Ron asked timidly.

"Yeah Ron?"

"Where exactly are we going?"

"Godric's Hollow," Harry said simply.

"Yeah I know that, but I don't see it."

"What do you mean you don't see it? It's right there." Harry pointed at the house that he saw, and everyone followed his finger.

"Umm Harry. There's nothing there. It's just a field." Hermione looked at him worriedly. Harry matched her gaze.

"You all really don't see it?" Harry asked.

"Ahhh. The Fidelius Charm must still be in place," Remus said, ending the confusion.

"But you two can see it?" asked Ron.

"Yes, I've already been there, and obviously, so has Harry. I suppose it's just the two of us then. Why don't you two take a walk, or else stand watch. Don't do anything stupid. Ron. Make sure of that please Hermione?"

"Hey-" Ron started indignantly before being nudged by Hermione

"We'll be fine Professor. Go ahead."

Together, Harry and Remus walked towards the house. It was beautiful in Harry's eyes. It didn't look like anything had happened at all. Harry approached the house and opened the door. Everything changed. Harry heard Remus take an involuntary breath. The house was a wreck. Most of it was in ruins. There had seemingly been an appearance charm to keep it looking normal on the outside. The remains of a duel were evident in the living room and by the doorway.

"It happened right here," Harry whispered. Unbidden, the voices of his parents rose inside Harry's head.

"It's him- Lily, take Harry and run. I'll hold him off."

Harry clearly pictured his father sending his mother and his baby self upstairs as he dealt with Voldemort. He could see where the reductor curse had been cast, see that paintings and chairs had been summoned to take the hits of other curses. Then, Harry noticed the piece of floor, scorched from a curse. Harry didn't know how he knew, but he knew that in that spot, was where James Potter landed and never stood up from. Tears flew into Harry's eyes. He shook them off and walked on, not knowing how he knew where to go, but he just did as if something inside told him to. He followed the path taken by Voldemort sixteen years ago. The door was open, and cold to the touch. He walked in and saw where his mother had made her last stand. The room was a mess. Everything was charred from the failed _Avada Kedavra _curse. Harry's eyes pulled him away and back into his fake memory.

"Stand aside you foolish girl!"

"No, not Harry, anything please. Not Harry."

"Move out of the way."

"Not Harry- please, I'll do anything."

"Move!"

"No please, take me, kill me instead. Not Harry, anything."

"Fine, _Avada Kedavra_."

Harry's eyes remained closed, and he walked, almost in a trance to where his mother had fallen. He stopped suddenly and reached out his hand, as a blind man does when he feels for a wall. He saw in his mind's eye a faint glow around the image of his baby self as his mother had died. It was almost as if she had made an oath with Voldemort, to kill her instead of Harry. He watched as another image from somewhere came into his mind. He watched as Voldemort attempted to kill Harry. He noticed Pettigrew in the background, standing and staring. He turned away and scampered out of the room as Voldemort attempted to say a curse. Harry fired a stunner at Pettigrew and heard a thud. The image of Voldemort waving his wand and muttering was replaced by a green light flying in front of Harry's eyes. Harry slowly opened them and turned around.

Remus was on the floor, stunned. Harry realized he had gotten too much into the moment and stunned his favorite professor, and last link to the life that could have been. He cast an _enervate _and Remus's eyes flew open.

"It happened right here, didn't it," Remus asked quietly. At Harry's nod in response, Remus sat up and looked around the room. Harry followed his gaze, and stopped in front of where his baby self had been, where Voldemort had marked his equal and met his match. Harry looked at the ground and noticed something that didn't look like it belonged.

"_Accio Horcrux."_ Harry waited for a second. Nothing. Two seconds. Still nothing. Harry sighed. It was worth a shot. Then he realized Remus was in the room. He eyed the marauder warily. Remus was staring thoughtfully at Harry, but didn't seem to notice the spell Harry had cast. Harry wondered vaguely if he had done it non-verbally. It didn't look like it worked though. Or else Harry's non-verbal spells were rubbish. Both seemed likely. A horcrux didn't seem to be in this room.

Harry walked over and scanned the room. There was a scorched bookshelf by the door, a small crib in the middle, some remains of what used to be clothes off to one side, a wand underneath the crib, presumably his mother's, a closet off to the side, and a few things haphazardly lying on the floor, such as a toy snitch, a couple of stuffed animals, and a watch. Harry stared at the watch and wondered if that was what Voldemort had intended to make into a horcrux. Harry picked it up, along with the wand, and pocketed them both for further viewing later. The wand vibrated softly in Harry's hand, but he deposited it into his pocket absentmindedly, as his thoughts strayed over what to do next. Harry looked at Remus, who was still soaking in everything that had happened. Harry helped him up by the shoulder, and together, they walked out of Godric's Hollow.

Remus directed him to the backyard, where Harry was shown the Quidditch field, along with the graves of his parents further on. Harry stopped and stared at the graves, tears stinging his eyes.

_Lily Rose Potter_

_1960-1981_

_Loving mother and wife_

_May her sacrifice be honored_

_and the debt repaid._

_James Harry Potter_

_1960-1981_

_Loving Father and Husband_

_Died to insure his family _

_would live. Let his sacrifice_

_not be in vain._

Tears coming to his eyes, Harry sat between the two gravestones. The tears splashed onto the graves and Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Dad thanks. You were awesome. You fought to save us. I have always been told how much I look like you, and how much I act like you. I'm always proud to hear that. It's the highest compliment that I can be paid in my eyes. I had at first thought of you like Mum used to, arrogant, stupid, and a real jerk. Remus showed me the real you though, and the real you was nothing like the version I had heard. I don't even know why I listened to _Snivellus_. But I'm not here about him. I needed to talk to you all. I don't know if you know, but it's my job to kill Voldemort. And I am definitely going to do it. I just don't know if I'll survive the experience. I have once before though and Mum, thanks. I don't know what I would have done without you. You've protected me through all these years. I wish we could have had more time together. Remus has told me so much about you all. It's been a rough life. But thanks for making sure I had one, Mum. And thanks for marrying Dad. I don't know what he would have done without you. I've found someone I love too Mum. She's a lot like you. Her names Ginny, Ginny Weasley. She's a redhead like you and is a year younger than me. She's my best friend's little sister. I really do think I love her. I would do anything for her. I would die for her. That's what love is isn't it? To be willing to die for someone, to willingly give your life so that they may live. That's what you did for us Dad. That's what you did for me Mum. You loved me. And after all these years, I can still feel your love inside me. Thank you. I really don't know what to say. I've always had this gaping hole inside me that Ginny was starting to fill. That hole was you and Dad. I know that. I can't wait to see you all again, but I can at the same time. Because I don't want to have to leave Ginny alone in this world. But I will if it means she can stay in this world. And I will avenge you and Dad. I promise. As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, Tom Riddle will meet his match. No one messes with a Potter, right Dad? Thank you, both of you, for allowing me to live. I love you. Until we meet in the next great adventure. Goodbye."

Letting his tears fall freely, Harry walked away, and headed down the path that led him back to the entrance. Harry kept on walking and looked for Ron and Hermione. He saw them, and he saw Ron pointing his wand at the one man he couldn't stand to see: Peter Pettigrew.

"Wormtail," Harry snarled.

"Harry, how good to see you aga-"

"Shut up! It's because of you their dead! It's all because of you. How could you do that to them? I don't understand. After everything they had done for you! How could you just sell them out like that? You disgust me Wormtail." Harry drew his wand. Harry's eyes flickered towards Ron, and saw Hermione on the floor, stunned. Ron knelt down to _enervate_ her and Harry looked back at Wormtail but saw he had transformed. Harry swore. He had escaped again. Well, for another day. In the end, everything would be served properly.

Harry saw Remus running towards them. Harry explained what happened, with Ron and Hermione filling in how they had ran into Pettigrew while they were talking, how he had stunned Hermione, and how Ron had gotten his wand on the traitor before he could do anything else. The four of them decided to apparate back to the Burrow, with Hermione taking Ron to make sure his eyebrows weren't left behind, and Harry went with Remus. After they heard a pop, Harry turned to his former professor.

"Are you ok Remus?" Harry asked.

"I think I will be. I had it out with Lily and James back there. I think we are all understood. Thank you Harry," Remus said sincerely.

"For what?" Harry asked, curious.

"For- for being you; For being Harry James Potter. No amount of gratitude can express how much it truly means to me for you to accept me as I am, just as your father and Sirius did. So thank you for that Harry."

"Anything for you Remus, anything."

And together, they apparated back to the Burrow, and Harry, after being congratulated again on his coming of age, wandered up to Ron's room, and without removing his clothes, collapsed onto the bed and promptly fell asleep.

Time to hear from you all, so get those reviews going.


	5. The Wedding

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 5: The Wedding

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry prepares for the wedding, takes a look at his mementos from Godric's Hollow, and returns to Grimmauld Place

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: You know, this isn't really much of a disclaimer; it's more like my author's note. Hmmm. I don't know if I have to remind you lot but Harry Potter isn't mind. Because I can't facilitate a kidnapping to rival that of Tom Riddle's in GOF, (yet) Harry Potter remains in J.K. Rowling's hands. Haha. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Anyways, for my story. I do believe the Wedding will happen this chapter. It was due two chapters ago, but I think now we have gotten everything else out of the way. I hope you all are enjoying the story thus far. So now, I submit for your entertainment, Chapter 5, The Wedding._

A week had gone by since Harry's fateful trip to Godric's Hollow. Harry's scar had been a constant throb once more, as Voldemort was too angered by the events of the night to care about Occlumency. So Harry was forced to learn the art of Occlumency. He found a ready teacher in Remus, who was actually a Legilimins himself. So through Remus, Harry had begun to learn Occlumency. Remus was a much better teacher than Snape had ever been, and Harry had proceeded to learn the skill easily. The idea of closing his mind was much easier when there wasn't any hate inside of his head like when Snape had tried to teach him. Harry was able to close off his mind and even detect Remus inside his head. In an easier environment, Harry was able to flourish. But he knew people he liked wouldn't be trying to invade his head. And it was all the more important now to learn Occlumency because Voldemort couldn't find out that Harry knew of the horcruxes. And so the week passed. This morning found Harry awakening to the shining sun, and preparing for the wedding of Bill and Fleur.

Harry paused on the way out and was attracted to his mementos from Godric's Hollow. He looked at the watch, wondering what it really was, and turned it around. On the back was an inscription.

_Happy Christmas my Raven. Love God._

Harry wondered what all that was about. He really didn't care. It was a nice watch. Harry decided he would give it to Ginny for her birthday. He might have to get rid of the inscription though. Harry then looked at the wand. It looked so beautiful. It was made of willow, and it carried the tail feather of a phoenix, and was bendy. It was also very small, around 7 inches. Harry remembered that his mother's wand had been made of willow, from what Ollivander had told him. And it was also good for charms. He couldn't remember what else Ollivander had said though. The wand was warm to Harry's touch. It was almost attracted to Harry. Harry reasoned that was because it had belonged to his mother, and her love resided in his blood. Harry wondered how old the wand was. It looked ancient. The wand must have been made over 1,000 years ago. Harry turned it over in his hand and saw a crack on it near the bottom. It was a jagged line, and Harry assumed it was from when the house was destroyed. He turned it over in his hand and deposited it back into a dresser drawer in his and Ron's room. Harry then walked out.

When Harry headed downstairs, what met him was chaos, absolute, terrifying, chaos. Everyone was running around the house, trying to get everything set up for the wedding. Ron grabbed him on the way and dragged him into the living room.

"Harry, Mum's gone mad. She's trying to set everything up for the wedding, because they decided to have it here at the Burrow, and everything's going wrong. Fleur should be here soon and Mum's in a panic."

"I'm sure you're glad Fleur's coming huh Ron?" Ron's eyes grew to the size of marbles.

"I- uhh."

"I'm just joking Ron. I know you have your eyes on Hermione." Harry didn't think it was possible but Ron's eyes got even bigger. He looked like he would gag.

"Right then. MUUUM. Harry's up! He can help!" Harry glared at Ron and watched him sprint up the stairs to shut himself in his room. Coward. Harry trudged into the kitchen and put himself at Mrs. Weasley's mercy. She quickly assembled teams to make everything done properly. Harry and the twins were to go outside and set the reception area, Ginny and Hermione would be checking everything for the bridesmaids, and Charlie was staying up with Bill to console him. Ron was nowhere to be seen. Harry headed outside and began to have a duel with the tables, like Charlie and Bill had a couple years ago. Harry, finally able to use magic, was enjoying it immensely. Harry's table attacked Fred's and with George's help, managed to subdue it after taking out 3 legs and splitting it in half. Fred gave up and set his down, while restoring the legs. Harry took George's on and spun it sideways in the air, slashing his wand downward and essentially pinning George's table to the tree. With a mighty crash, George pulled his table out and managed to swing his back at Harry's. Like a spell hitting a shield charm, Harry's table groaned, and then finally collapsed, sinking down into the ground. George gave a yell of triumph and Harry reluctantly restored his table.

"You just aren't ready yet Harry. Maybe later, once you know what you're doing. Besides, nobody messes with the Weasley twins." With a grin, the twins picked Harry up by his arms and pinned himon the ground, then forced a sweet down his mouth. In horror, Harry fought futilely against their grip, but it was too much. They punched him in the stomach, which forced him to swallow, and Harry looked up into their faces hesitantly.

"Since it was your birthday last week-" began George

"And we didn't get to prank you-" stated Fred

"Fred and I decided that now was as good a time as any-"

"To prank you, and now you are eating Delicious Dung-"

"A tasty treat that cancels out the effects of you-no-poo-"

"But it takes a while for the candy to stop-"

"So don't forget to flush," they finished with a grin. Harry bolted upstairs into the bathroom and stayed there for a while, letting the effects of "Delicious Dung" end. Ten minutes later, Harry returned to the kitchen and saw everyone out of breath, but calm. It was all finished. Bill pulled Harry to the side.

"Harry, I meant to ask you, would you be willing to be one of the groomsman? You'll be escorting Ginny of course." Harry nodded.

"Thanks Harry, I knew I could count on you."

"Hey Bill, who else is groomsman?"

"Well Charlie is best man, Ron is one, along with you, and I've got a couple friends from Egypt. Fleur has her sister Gabrielle, Ginny, and a couple friends of hers from Beauxbatons. Ron's escorting one of them since Herm- someone thought that him being with a veela would be a bad idea." Bill grinned sheepishly. It was then Harry noticed his scars from the werewolf attack earlier. He looked much better; there wasn't much scarring. His smile was a bit forced, and his skin was a little stretched, but otherwise he looked fine. Harry could also notice his shoulder was still causing him a little bit of pain but Bill looked great. Harry returned the smile.

Harry headed upstairs to change and put on the dress robes Mrs. Weasley had handed him. He headed downstairs and noticed Fleur and company had arrived. Fleur looked like she was going to burst into tears though. Harry heard Ginny gingerly asking what was wrong. Harry smiled when he heard her voice and listened to the answer.

"Cl- Clara isn't coming. We 'ave one bridesmaid short. It is all uneven and 'opeless." Fleur returned to her sobbing. Ginny patted her back consolingly and Hermione walked into the room to drag Ginny back upstairs. Fleur lifted her head and stared at Hermione, the same look in her eyes as had been in Ron's when he had realized Hermione was a girl.

"Hermione. Could you be one of my bridesmaids?" Hermione looked like the only thing she could say was most definitely not, but after a look from Mrs. Weasley and a kick from Ginny that would have had any boy on the floor gasping for breath, Hermione nodded her head. Fleur cried harder and pulled Hermione into a hug. Hermione winced, but patted her back nonetheless. She then grabbed Ginny by the hand and the two girls marched upstairs. Harry felt like he was going to laugh and ran back upstairs to hide. He heard Ginny muttering darkly about 'that Phlegm.' Harry suppressed his laughter until he made it back upstairs. He burst out laughing and Ron looked at him strangely.

"What's the matter mate?"

"Fleur was freaking out because she was a bridesmaid short."

"Who was missing?" Ron asked.

"Clara." Ron frowned.

"I was her escort." Harry laughed harder. In between gasps Harry ended Ron's puzzled look.

"Hermione is replacing her." Harry watched Ron's face break into a grin, then disappear so fast that if Harry didn't know better, he wouldn't have known he saw it at all.

The door opened before Harry could comment further and it was Charlie's red hair that poked through the door.

"Time to get this show on the road guys. Ready?" After a nod from Harry and Ron, the three of them trooped down the stairs and prepared for the wedding.

Somehow, everything had seemed to work out well. Harry, Ron, Charlie, and two of Bill's Egyptian friends, John and Luke, were all standing at the front with Bill in the lead, awaiting the bride. According to Hermione, Wizard and Muggle weddings were very similar, the main difference being at the end. She said Harry would have to wait and see. Harry resisted the urge to hit the girl he'd come to regard as a mixture between sister and friend, and settled for rolling his eyes.

Harry had just escorted Ginny up to the front, with Ron and Hermione right in front of them. Harry noticed the two of them risking glances at each other, and when their eyes met they would turn away and blush. Harry occasionally risked a glance at Ginny, and she would catch his eye and smile. She really did look stunning. She had a long golden dress, added with her red hair which madeher lookGryffindorish, that brought out her figure in ways Harry didn't know could be shown. He caught himself wishing they were still together a number of times, but knew that it just wasn't the time. At least, not yet. All eyes were to the back as Fleur walked in. She took almost everyone's breath away, and Harry knew it wasn't because she was part veela. Her white dress seemed to almost flow behind her, as if magic kept it afloat, which it probably did, Harry thought with a snort. She had the goblin made tiara Mrs. Weasley had promised, and it sat atop her head, letting her face almost seem to radiate the joy she was feeling. Everyone clapped and took their seats. Harry was impressed to see that the twins had kept from doing any trouble…yet.

The wizard priest went on about how these two people in front of him were in love but Harry never caught a word. He was wondering what it would take to get Ginny back. He was falling in love with her all over again, horcruxes be damned. Harry was in love with the girl across from him. He knew it, just like he knew it when he told his mom. 'How would he get her back though' Harry thought. He had already tried to push her away. And would he let her know about his mission, his destiny. It was too much. Why couldn't his life be normal? Harry wondered about the decisions he had made to get to here, the choices that brought him to now. Harry had already pretty much figured out what would have happened if Neville was the chosen one, after that revelation last year, but Harry began to wonder what would have happened had he let the sorting hat put him in Slytherin.

He wouldn't have befriended Hermione and Ron, that's for sure. He'd probably be with Malfoy, and Zabini. It would be interesting, if he had to defeat Voldemort but he was in Slytherin. Would Harry have joined him, or maybe taken over in his place after defeating him? Harry shuddered at the thought. It was a good thing he hadn't been put in Slytherin. But like Dumbledore said, that made the difference. He chose his path, and it went against Voldemort's, even though they were almost the same. They were both parselmouths, a revelation Harry still failed to comprehend. Voldemort gave Harry his scar that night, and something about the scar gave Harry some of his powers.

Wait. Was it possible? Harry gave an involuntary shudder. Was he, Harry, a horcrux? It would explain why he had some of Voldemort's powers. And it made a lot of sense, after all, sometimes he just knew what to do, or knew what to say, without any real reason for him to know. But then, why was Voldemort trying to kill him? Did he not know Harry was a horcrux? But no, Harry couldn't be a horcrux. Maybe… maybe when Voldemort took Harry's blood, he took away the horcrux and resurrected himself, so now Harry wasn't. Had he ever tried to speak to a snake after fourth year? Wait no. He had, when he heard the snake in Bob Ogden's memory. Why couldn't he be a horcrux? There had to be something. But Harry thought and thought, and couldn't come up with a single thing. He would have to talk to Hermione. He was pulled out of his reverie when he saw the priest do something strange. Hermione winked at him.

"And now, with the wands, they shall be made to never fight against one another, for a husband and wife should never fight each other. And allow me to cast the bonding spell." After a moment the priest cleared his throat, as a white glow surrounded Bill and Fleur. "Your souls have now been bonded, as your lives have joined together in holy matrimony, so have your souls. You are of two bodies, two minds, and one spirit. May your lives be full of happiness and love. You may now kiss the bride." Amid applause, Bill kissed Fleur, and everyone was happy, everyone except Harry, whose morbid thoughts had dampened his happy mood considerably. Harry needed to talk to Hermione. The guests all headed to the reception area, and Harry found himself seated on his battle weary table, now groaning under mountains of food. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, all took his side. Harry pulled Hermione aside with a significant look, and she followed, leaving the Weasley crew to themselves for a moment.

"What's wrong Harry?"

"Hermione? Do you think I am a horcrux?"

"What? No, of course not Harry," Hermone said, too quickly for Harry to believe her.

"But how do you know for sure?" he pressed.

"Voldemort's trying to kill you, he wouldn't be if you had part of his soul," she reasoned.

"Yeah, but what if he doesn't know? He was trying to make a horcrux the night he tried to kill me, we don't exactly know how to make a horcrux do we? It's possible. Why else do you think I'm a parselmouth?"

"Well… I guess you are right, but I don't think you are Harry. I think when he tried to kill you, your mother's sacrifice made his soul try and possess you, like he did before, at the ministry. And I think, once you possess something, whatever it is you possessed retains some of your abilities. No one really knows for sure, because when someone was possessed they died. It's not like the imperious curse, where they are just in your head. But honestly? I don't think you are Harry. Besides, you were sorted into Gryffindor, if you had part of Voldemort in you, I think the sorting hat would have at least tried to put you in Slytherin."

Harry's heart sank to the bottom of his stomach, then kept going and hit his toe.

"It did," Harry said in a small voice.

"What?"

"The sorting hat, it said- it said I would have been great in Slytherin." Harry shifted his eyes uncomfortably to look at the floor.

"Harry! I know why you couldn't be a horcrux. He would have to kill someone first!"

"He killed my Mum Hermione."

"But no, I don't think it works that way. I think- well I dunno. You just can't be a horcrux though. I don't think a person's soul can split into more than seven pieces. And each piece he split, it wouldn't be 1/7, it would be ½. So he has like a really small piece of soul in him. I don't think he could have split it that many times Harry. What probably happened is that the spell connected the two of you, like Priori Incantatum, and how the wands force one wand to show everything it had done, I think it forced Voldemort's soul to do that, and it left a mark on you." Hermione's hand reached up and brushed Harry's scar.

"If you were indeed a horcrux, I don't think it's you. I think it's the scar." Harry looked at Hermione and felt his scar tingling from her touch.

"And I think Dumbledore would have told you if he thought you were a horcrux Harry, that's something he couldn't keep to himself."

"No one knows why I stopped him that night Hermione. No one truly knows what happened. For all we know… I could be."

"Harry, do you think Voldemort will become a ghost when he dies?"

"Well yeah, I suppose, Nick said that if you are too afraid of death you leave an imprint of yourself to walk where you had been."

"What if, when Voldemort died, he became a ghost, but then was stopped because he wasn't truly dead. And the ghost just kind of entered you. So you wouldn't be a horcrux, you would just have an imprint of Voldemort's soul."

"Maybe… But then, that's like a portrait isn't it? It's basically the same thing?"

Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know Harry."

"Wait a second… Hey, Nagini is probably a horcrux right?"

"Yeah."

"What if… oh I bet this would work, I had thought of this earlier, when I was in Nagini at the Department of Mysteries, before we left to the Burrow in fifth year, Dumbledore checkeda strangesilver instrument. I told you about it remember?" After Hermione's nod, Harry continued.

"What if, when the two snakes came out, theyrepresented two pieces of Voldemort's soul? So there were two pieces of Voldemort's soul there when I was there. Which means I'm not a horcrux because Nagini and Voldemort were the two pieces!" Harry finished triumphantly.

"That would make sense," Hermione said slowly. "But that doesn't explain why you have Voldemort's powers."

"Who cares? I'm not a horcrux. That proves it."

"I think we should ask Professor Dumbledore."

Harry stared at Hermione incredulously. "Umm… Hermione? Dumbledore is-"

"Dead, I know, but his portrait is up in the headmasters office."

"You're brilliant Hermione, I could kiss you." Hermione looked flustered, and before she knew it, Harry leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. Harry heard Ron and Ginny yelling at them and Hermione turned. Harry ended up kissing her lips instead. Ron growled and Ginny shrieked 'Hermione!' They broke away quickly, both flushed and stared at the pair of Weasleys in front of them.

"Umm, it's because-" Hermione began.

"Long story Ron, I'll tell you later." Ron still looked angry, but nodded nonetheless. Ginny however, looked furious.

"Hermione I can't believe you went and kissed my boyfriend!"

"Ginny, we aren't together anymore." Harry's heart dropped even lower than before as he said this. Ron and Hermione stared at him in shock.

"Look Harry, I've thought about what you said. And you know what, I think you're scared. Scared because you can't handle someone else loving you."

"Everyone who has loved me has died for me Ginny."

"Yeah, well what if I was willing to die for you too?"

"That's just it, I don't what you to. Don't you see Ginny? You're the reason I keep fighting. I do this for you. I want to get rid of Voldemort so I can be with you."

"Harry, listen, I don't care about any of that. I want you with me. I won't take no for an answer. Have you ever thought about what it would do to me if you left and never came back? I love you Harry." Harry stared at her. There was just no getting rid of his friends it seemed like. Harry's last wall of resolve broke. He pulled Ginny to him and gave her a kiss that seemed to freeze time. When they pulled apart minutes later, gasping for breath Harry leaned in and whispered in her.

"I love you too Gin. I guess, I don't know. I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you, on top of everything else. But I guess I can't let Voldemort rule my life huh?" He gave her a sheepish grin. Ginny stopped her indignant rant and pulled Harry back down to her and kissed him forcefully. Ron and Hermione coughed moments later and they broke apart. Ginny slipped her hand into his and Harry felt that everything was right in the world once more. They turned around and sat back down, Harry feeling determined to eat, and not let some crazy Dark Lord dictate his life. They talked about nothing and everything, like friends do, Harry's mind off of horcruxes. Harry decided that it didn't matter if Voldemort left part of his soul in Harry. All the more reason to kill him. But Harry would talk to Dumbledore. That was something he needed settled soon. Harry just couldn't bear to carry that burden on top of everything else.

The four of them wandered around the garden aimlessly, Harry holding Ginny's hand and to his shock, Ron holding Hermione's; it didn't look like either one noticed, but on close inspection, it looked like they both noticed but were too shy to say anything in case they stopped. Harry suppressed a laugh. His best friends were so crazy. They talked about the wedding for a while, and they decided they would have to go to Diagon Alley, well, Hermione decided they would have to go to Diagon Alley.

"Do we really have to Hermione?" Ron's back hit the tree and he slumped down, lying on the grass. His actions made Hermione fall down and she landed on top of him, her face inches from his.

"Sorry…" Ron said in a small voice.

"It's ok," said Hermione, equally quiet.

"Ugh. I've had enough of you two. Just kiss already!" Exasperated, Ginny cast a placement charm on Hermione and moved her right onto Ron's lips. Satisfied, she lay into Harry, who was also resting on the tree trunk, and smiled contentedly. About ten minutes later, about five of which involved Hermione apologizing to Ron, glaring at Ginny for making her kiss him, and at Harry for laughing, Ron pulled her back down and actually did kiss her. Flustered, Hermione settled down and leaned into the kiss, running her hands through Ron's hair. They broke it off, both of them smiling goofily.

"About time," said Harry.

"No kidding, I lost 2 galleons because you didn't get together last year," whined Ginny playfully. Ron stared in shock, and Hermione looked indignant.

"The whole school knew except you two. Hate to break it to you." Harry allowed himself a small smile. Hermione and Ron just laughed it off and together, the four of them they headed back to the Burrow.

Read and Review you all. So submit me one.


	6. A Trip to Diagon Alley

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 6: A Trip to Diagon Alley

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry and the gang head to Diagon Alley and learn a few important things on the trip. Then, Harry mounts a haphazard rescue mission. 

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Well guys, I'm back, thanks for the reviews, I'd appreciate it immensely if more of you all did review, because if you've written a story, you know how it feels when someone reviews. You feel like your story is important, and that someone actually took the time to read it. So here's for more reviews. I'm glad to see you all are still with me. Sorry this chapter is short, but I had to keep it that way. The next chapter should be fairly long though so that will make up for it. So for now, please enjoy chapter 6, A Trip to Diagon Alley._

"Harry! We're gonna be late." Hermione's voice rang in Harry's ears.

"I'm up, I'm up," he grumbled. He heard Ron muttering something about spiders and pink bunnies. Harry chunked a pillow at him. Ron sat straight up and promptly fell off his bed, landing on the floor with a laugh.

"Finally," Hermione sighed.

"Remind me why we're going to Diagon Alley again and not sleeping in like normal people do on the holidays Hermione," Ron said.

"Because, we need to get our supplies, just in case we do go back to Hogwarts, and besides, it would do good to get out of the house. If nothing else, we can go to the twins' shop. That should be fun. And it would be a nice break from everything we've been doing. You and Harry already got your apparition licenses right?"

"Yeah," said Harry. He remembered how he and Ron had gone two days after the wedding, which was actually yesterday, and gotten their licenses. It had been an interesting experience to say the least.

"Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley," the bored witch at the counter had called.

"Yes, were here," they had responded.

"Test site number one. First, we will need for you to go in that room, and apparate from one side to the other. Next, you will apparate to Diagon Alley, and finally, from Diagon Alley, apparate back here, and that is the test. Good luck." So Harry and Ron had headed into the room, both successfully apparating to the other side of the room, then to Diagon Alley. They apparated right on top of each other though, which was pretty funny after they had finished the test. A man was there who gave them a slip of paper, and they had apparated back, thus completing the little test. They were then able to apparate from the ministry back to the Burrow. And so ended their apparition exam. And Harry's memory.

"Knut for your thoughts Harry?" Hermione said.

"Huh?" responded Harry intelligently.

"You kind of dozed off."

"Oh I was remembering when we took the test."

"Oh alright then. Well Harry, Ron, are we ready to go to Diagon Alley?"

"Yes Mum," chorused Ron and Harry, and they silently laughed until Hermione's glare changed into one of exasperation.

"Let's go then."

"Hey wait for me!" cried Ginny.

"Ginny? You're coming with us?"

"Yeah, Mum said I could go, so I am. Take me Harry."

"As much as I would like to take you right here, right now, Ginny, I don't think it's a very good time. How about when we get back from Diagon Alley?" Harry asked sincerely, and then burst out laughing along with Ginny because they could no longer keep their straight faces after seeing Ron's reaction.

"You may be my best mate Harry, but sometimes…" Ron trailed off. Hermione kissed him for 'his sweetness' and the four of them apparated to Diagon Alley, Ginny grasping Harry's arm, and snuggling into his side a little too much for Ron's comfort, but nonetheless they arrived safely at Diagon Alley.

Once they had arrived, they looked around and noticed the streets were deserted. Harry walked along, staring at the boarded up shops. Fortescue's ice cream parlor was still closed. Harry passed by the table he always used to sit at and smiled sadly. They also past by Ollivander's, the closed up shop, and Harry noticed the wand that had always sat on the faded cushion had a card next to it. Harry looked up close and read it.

_Here lies the wand of Rowena Ravenclaw, Willow, phoenix tail-feather, bendy, and around 7 inches. Disappeared after her death, but later found and returned, it has since been passed down through the generations and it now resides in the possession of Oscar Ollivander, her heir._

"So Ollivander is the heir of Ravenclaw huh? Wow. Well we seem to know all the heirs now. Looks like Voldemort, the Slytherin heir, knocked off the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw heirs. Wonder who the Gryffindor heir is," mused Harry aloud.

"Wait a minute," Harry said. He stopped and slowly pulled out the wand he had rescued from Godric's Hollow.

"You don't think…" Harry stopped and re-read the card, and then looked at the wand in his hand, which vibrated weakly in Harry's hand.

"Hermione?" Harry began weakly.

"I think that's what Voldemort was going to use Harry, I don't think that's your mother's wand. When people die, their wands are snapped and buried with them, except under special circumstances. The card says it disappeared when she died. So that's why it's still intact. I think that covers your something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's, Harry."

"But he didn't did he? He didn't make one. How are we supposed to know if we found one anyway?"

"I think we need to talk to Dumbledore," said Ron, speaking for the first time. Ginny stood next to him, a confused look glued to her face. Harry wondered again if she should tell her the truth.

"Ginny, I'll explain it all to you later. I promise." He received a peck on the cheek in return and they linked up their hands on their way to the Flourish and Blotts.

"Harry?"

"Yeah Hermione?"

"How about after this we apparate to Hogsmeade and head to Hogwarts to talk to Dumbledore?"

"Yeah, sounds good to me. Gin?"

"May as well."

Once they four friends made it to Flourish and Blotts, Hermione handed them their school list. As it turned out, Hogwarts would be reopening, and McGonagall would be the temporary headmistress. Hermione thought they should still get their books to be prepared to pass their N.E.W.T.S. (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests) later on. So Ron and Harry had reluctantly agreed. Ginny would still be attending, at least until she found out they weren't. Harry was nervous about the fight that would cause.

"Ok, let's see," began Hermione as they entered the bookstore. She pulled out her list and began walking through the aisles, dragging Ginny behind her. Harry went with Ron to the Quidditch section, but could still hear Hermione muttering about their books.

"The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7 by Miranda Goshawk check, Advanced Transfiguration by Emeric Switch check, and The Dark Arts and How to Defeat Them by Alexis Star check. Three of each… Ok. Ginny, you got your books already?" Ginny must have nodded because Hermione announced they were finished. Harry went back to the front with Ron and paid for his books using his moneybag from Gringotts that Bill had given him for his birthday.

"Hey guys, I need to stop in at Gringotts. They were going to show me the Potter vault and other stuff. Care to join me?" Harry asked as they exited the bookshop.

"Sounds like fun to me," said Ginny, staring at Harry lovingly.

"Then we're off to see the goblin…" Hermione said in a singsong voice. Harry knew it was from Wizard of Oz and smiled. They trooped through Diagon Alley and made it to Gringotts. Harry stepped inside and went up to the nearest goblin.

"Hi, I'm Harry Potter. Ragnok sent me a letter saying I now had access to my family vault. I was wondering if you could help me out…" Harry trailed off. That goblin gave what seemed to pass for a smile, but looked more like a grimace to Harry and motioned him to follow with one crooked finger. Harry took Ginny's hand and the four of them followed the goblin. He led them to an office and Harry saw that he was in the head goblin's office Ragnok. He had heard Bill speak of him before.

"Hello Mr. Potter. I am Ragnok. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Harry responded and shook the proffered hand. He then took a seat, and everyone followed his action.

"To business. You are aware, are you not, that when you became of age on July 31st, you came into possession of the Potter family vault?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, then that is settled. Would you like to go down and see it?"

"Yes, that would be great."

"I can send someone with you. Is there anyone in particular you would like to go with you?"

"Just call Griphook."

"You know a goblin's name?"

"Yes, he was the first goblin I met."

"Interesting," Ragnok muttered. "Very well, if your friends could leave the room for a moment, I would like to speak with you in private.

Harry looked at his friends, who nodded and walked out, closing the door behind them. Harry sat up in his chair and looked at Ragnok expectantly.

"Goblins are normally neutral in wars in the wizarding world. We take care of the money. That is our job. It is of no importance to us what happens in the wizarding world, as long as there are still wizards and witches in it who do business with us. Gringotts is a business Mr. Potter. He-who-must-not-be-named has been rather foolish as of late. He has tried to break into Gringotts once, and succeeded. We goblins are a proud people. We do not enjoy being made to look like fools. Therefore, we are against he-who-must-not-be-named and his cause. You are, I have heard, the one who will be fighting to defeat him. I would like you to know that we are here and offering you the hand of friendship. I want you to always remember who helped you in your time of need." Ragnok extended his hand to Harry once more.

Harry was finding it extremely hard, no impossible, to fill Dumbledore's shoes. Everyone was expecting him to be this great leader and to be able to lead the side of the light to victory over the dark. But they didn't understand. This wasn't a fairy tale that always had happy endings. The people who fought for the good side didn't win simply because they were good. This was real life, people fought for something they believed in, and died for it, in the hope that they would be victorious, but not really knowing what would happen. Harry just hoped he was able to live up to everyone's standards, especially Dumbledore's. Harry shook Ragnok's hand politely and thanked him for his support, then walked out, catching up with his friends on the cart that took them to the Potter vault.

The car took them over twists, turns, an underground lake, past a couple dragons, and finally it came to a halt. Griphook walked out and traced his finger down the middle of the vault like he had to get the sorcerer's stone for Hagrid 6 years ago and opened the vault. He ushered the four of them inside and said he would wait outside for them to finish. Harry walked in and was blinded by the piles of gold he saw. There was just mounds of it. He immediately felt bad, knowing how Ron would feel, and knowing it would be in vain to try and cover it up, just tried to walk right by it. But he knew Ron would make a comment. Wait for it… wait for it… there.

"Wow mate, you must be richer than those muggles Bill Gates and Joanne Rowling put together."

"Who are they?" Harry asked.

"Famous people," Ron said with a shrug. They returned to staring at the vault's contents.

"Hey Harry, I think I found something you might like," Ginny called.

Harry crossed the vault and squatted next to her, to see the chest she was looking at. Harry opened it, and inside he found jewelry given to his mother. It was some really beautiful stuff. Harry saw a couple particularly nice ones and pulled it out for Ginny's birthday, August 11th, which was actually tomorrow, Harry realized with a shock. He needed to make sure he got her a good present. He pulled those out and then found something that looked exactly like the kind of present he wanted for her: a promise ring. He pocketed it when she wasn't looking and realized it was the perfect gift to give to Ginny. Harry's shoulders lightened considerably as that burden was taken off of him. He kept looking around and found a lot of mementos from his parents, mostly useless stuff that he wouldn't need, such as trunks with old schoolbooks, but he did find a diary that he grabbed.

"Harry, come take a look at this," Hermione called.

"Look, it's a camcorder. Your mum must have gotten it. We should look at what's on it later."

"Then grab it Hermione. Whatever you all find in her, it's yours to have if you would like it. Just show it to me first, and I'll more than likely let you have it. Besides, I'd end up leaving it here anyway so if you want it, you would put it to more use than I could." Harry watched for his friends' reactions. Hermione nodded thoughtfully, Ginny seemed ok with it, but he was worried about Ron's reaction. He looked at Harry, almost the same look as when Harry had kissed Ginny, and then nodded slightly.

Harry relaxed considerably. They walked through the vault, Harry occasionally being stopped and asked about one thing or another, and always saying 'yes you can take it.' Nothing had really jumped out at Harry, so he just wondered around aimlessly, looking in this box, or prodding that bag, but nothing seemed to say, come grab me, besides the promise ring. After awhile, Harry decided he would come back and check it out later. He did notice an invisibility cloak on the way out though and grabbed it, finally finding something worthwhile. They all headed back to the cart and back to fresh air, Griphook leading the way. They walked out of Gringotts, hand in hand, and took a deep breath of the fresh air.

"So where to now?" Ginny asked.

"How about the twins' shop?" suggested Ron.

"Sounds good to me, let's go," said Harry.

So the four of them headed to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to have some fun for a while.

"Welcome to WWW, your mischief making headquarters, whether you need a good prank, some revenge on a sibling, or just a good laugh, we are the store for you," announced a parrot that was stationed at the entrance to the shop. They all laughed and walked inside.

"Ah Fred, would you look at that? Our financial backer in the flesh. Harry, absolutely spiffing to see you." George ran over and shook Harry's hand fervently, while Ron, Ginny, and Hermione laughed at his antics. Fred ran over, elbowing George out of the way, and stooped into a bow that would have made a house elf proud.

"What can I get for you today sir? Butterbeer? Firewhiskey? Some fancy sort of drink that old blokes enjoy having? Or perhaps a Lemon Lite? George, have Verity fetch the Lemon Lite, on the rocks."

Verity came back with a bottle that they encouraged Harry to taste from. Discouraged by the fact that it was from the twins, Harry went ahead and took a sip anyway. It tasted pretty good. The more he drink, the lighter he felt. It was odd. He looked around and they were all laughing hysterically at him. Except, Harry couldn't hear them. It was like he had lost his ears. Suddenly, Harry fell flat onto the ground. He tried to get up, but couldn't. He looked around and noticed them all pointing and laughing. A minute later, after repeatedly failing to stand up, Harry did, and it was like someone turned up the volume on his ears.

"What happened?" Harry asked, frowning as he tried to understand what just passed.

"You turned into a lemon," Fred stated simply. George threw his chest out proudly.

"5 sickles each," added George.

"Now, to business. We hear that you all are doing things you shouldn't be doing. That the –ahem- adults wouldn't particularly enjoy finding out about." Harry stared at them, 'how did they know?' Ron's face shared a similar expression. Ginny was just confused, and Hermione, well, Hermione bit her lip impatiently. She seems to do that a lot, thought Harry.

"So, we have something for you, free samples, even for Ronniekins." Ron glared dangerously. Fred just shrugged it off.

"We call it, the minute maid. Automatically cleans up an entire room that was trashed from a prank, or something that goes far beyond heavy snogging as we believe you all have been doing," George ignored the indignant yells of 'hey' 'no we aren't' and continued, "so we thought this might come in handy. It cleans up in one minute. And honestly, I don't want to know what you are all up to. If it was Harry and Hermione, maybe, but I don't want any pictures in my head because of my little brother or sister. So take em, they're free of charge."

"Ummm… thanks I guess. Well we kind of need to leave so we'll be back some other time."

Waving to the twins, they apparated back to the Burrow. Hermione picked up some mail from the owl that had just popped in after them, paid it for her copy of the Daily Prophet, and they headed to Ron's room. Orange greeted them, along with the Chudley Cannons team waving from their posters. Harry threw himself on the bed with a plop, followed almost immediately by Ron's thump. Ginny jumped on Harry, and then Hermione screamed. Harry stood up, knocking Ginny on to the floor, but he apologized to her on his way to Hermione, Ron hot on his heels.

"What happened?"

"Look." Hermione handed them the newspaper, her hands trembling all the while. Harry reached out and held it for he, Ron, and Ginny to look at, and together they read the article.

_Hogwarts No More_

_This morning, Death Eaters under you-know-who captured Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As it was during the holidays, not many staff members were there, but there seem to of been a few casualties nonetheless. We are unsure of who died and how many, but do know that several of the teachers are being held hostage. What you-know-who wants is uncertain, but it seems that there is a need for a hero in our world, as the murder of Albus Dumbledore has left us with only Rufus Scrimgeour to look to, and public opinion holds that he is not doing the job that the wizarding community wants done. We must wonder if Harry Potter, the Chosen One, will be able to succeed where everyone else has failed. Is he what you-know-who wants? No one knows for sure, but it has been rumored that Potter was with Albus Dumbledore the night of his murder. Is it possible that Dumbledore has taught the boy-who-lived what he needs to defeat the most terrible Dark Lord of our time? We certainly hope so. Good Luck Mr. Potter._

Harry swore, took a deep breath to calm himself, and then he swore some more.

"What about Dumbledore? How are we going to talk to his portrait now? And it looks like a lot of the order members are stuck in there too. What are we going to do now?" asked Ron, staring sideways at Harry. Harry looked furious, yet in his emerald eyes were blazing a determination they hadn't seen since, well ever. Harry rolled up his sleeve and pulled out his wand.

"_Accio Invisibility Cloak, Accio Marauder's Map_." Nothing flew into his hand.

"Looks like I have to work on my non-verbal incantations then huh?" Harry said. He said the spells out loud this time and both his trusty cloak and the map flew into his hands.

"Time to go on a rescue mission. Hermione, you and Ginny stay here. Ron and I are going to go, because three of us wouldn't fit under the cloak. Ron, let's go. Grab my arm, so we stay together. On three, one, two-"

"We'll meet you at Hogsmeade! But wait, you can't apparate or disapparate inside Hogwarts!" Harry nodded and said three as Hermione said where they would meet them. But Harry never heard her reminder about Hogwarts. He and Ron disappeared with a pop.

A review a chapter makes the author happier.


	7. Return to Hogwarts

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 7: Return to Hogwarts

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry and Ron head to Hogwarts to meet with Dumbledore, and hopefully rescue some of the staff members along the way. 

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Once again, I apologize for chapter six being so short, but I hope you do enjoy chapter seven. I've been thinking about this chapter for a while, so it should be long, detailed, and to your liking. Well, I guess chapter six wasn't that short, I ended up editing it because I forgot about Harry's trip to Gringotts. Ah well. Anyway. Please keep on reviewing. It keeps me going. So here, for your entertainment, I submit to you chapter seven: Return to Hogwarts._

Ron let go of Harry's arm and they tumbled onto the couch in Gryffindor Tower. They both looked around, and Harry pulled out the map.

"_I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."_

With a tap from his wand, the map began to come to life, illustrating the grounds of Hogwarts. Ron tapped Harry and Harry turned to look at him.

"Harry, we aren't supposed to be able to apparate into Hogwarts. How did that happen?"

Harry shrugged. "We'll figure it out later. There isn't time right now. We need to get to Dumbledore's office, and then we need to try and rescue the teachers. Hopefully Dumbledore will have a good idea. And we may just be able to apparate out, since it looks like we were able to apparate in." Harry suggested.

"Maybe," Ron said, still sounding doubtful.

"Well, let's go. Dumbledore's err McGonagall's office. Let me check the map."

"Well, the coast looks clear. We've got three death eaters in the dungeons, two up in the North Tower, five in the Great Hall, one in the Hospital Wing, one on the seventh floor, and it looks like two of them are trying to get into the headmistresses office. It looks like it isn't working though. It was probably sealed off."

"So fourteen death eaters in all?"

"Right."

"Any we know?"

"Well let's see, we've got Malfoy, Mulciber, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy again, Snape, Pettigrew, Macnair, Lestrange, Lestrange, Lestrange, Alecto, Amycus, and, a question mark? That's weird. Hmm. Well there's your list."

"How about professors, who do we have?"

"McGonagall is in the dungeons, along with Sprout and Pomfrey it looks like. Flitwick is in the Room of Requirement believe it or not. He and Vector both. Hopefully they'll be able to help. Trelawney is in the North Tower. She's with the question mark and Snape. And Hagrid is… Hagrid is in the Great Hall. That looks like that's it."

"What about Slughorn?"

"Probably left for the holidays."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"Well, are you ready Ron?"

"I've been ready for a long time Harry. Let's get this over with."

"Ok then. Let's go."

Ron and Harry donned the invisibility cloak, Harry cast silencing charms on their feet, and the two made their way out the portrait of the fat lady after checking the map to see it was clear. They headed towards the headmistresses office. It was slow going. Twice they had to stop and wait because a group of death eaters past. Peeves flew by them as well, but he didn't notice them, he was too busy concentrating on other things. They slowly made their way to the office and when they reached it, Harry put a finger to his mouth, signaling for Ron to keep quiet. Here was where non-verbal spells would pay off. Harry inched his way slowly towards the pair of death eaters next to the gargoyles, trying to get in. Harry noticed that it was the Lestrange brothers. Harry motioned for Ron to cast a stunner at the one on the right, non-verbally, by pointing his wand at the man Ron would hit, and pointing to his head. Ron got the message. Harry tapped Ron's foot and they both cast their stunners. It hit the Lestrange brothers in the back and they both toppled forward, stunned. They dragged them into the shadows so they wouldn't be spotted easily, and then Harry walked towards the gargoyles, wondering how he would get in.

"Got any ideas Ron?"

"Nope. Try the passwords."

"May as well. How about… lemon drop?"

The gargoyles sprang to life and almost seemed to usher Ron and Harry inside before closing behind them. The spiral staircase took them into the office, and Harry was welcomed by Dumbledore's portrait.

"Ah… Harry, how good to see you. And Mr. Weasley as well. What a pleasant surprise. How can I help you gentlemen?"

"Um Professor? You do know that Hogwarts has been captured right?"

"Yes, being a portrait, I am able to hear things you wouldn't expect. It is most unfortunate. But that's not why you are here. Why are you here Harry? What's wrong?" Dumbledore's eyes, still twinkling in a picture, were full of concern.

"Well, aside from the fact you're dead-"

"Yes, a most terrible loss, I am sure. I must apologize, I had no idea that-"

Harry couldn't believe that he was discussing Dumbledore's death in the same tone they would discuss the weather. But when Harry heard Dumbledore had no idea, Harry pounced on it.

"I told you not to trust Snape!"

"_Professor _Snape Harry. And may I ask why you have grown even more hostile toward him?"

"He _murdered_ you Professor."

"Did he really? I don't know much of what has happened. My memory goes about as far as finding the cave that I believed Tom had hid a horcrux. I can't remember anything past that. Incidentally, how did that go?"

Harry snorted. "Not very good Professor."

"Indeed? Tell me what happened Harry."

And so, Harry began to retell the tale of the night Dumbledore had died, starting with their trip to find the horcruxes. Harry couldn't help leaving in a bit of his ideas about Malfoy and Snape, and how he had been right all along. Dumbledore just seemed to nod and encourage Harry throughout the tale, and noticed that he seemed to look almost sad. Particularly when Harry spoke of Malfoy and Snape. Must have been because they turned out bad after all, thought Harry grimly. Dumbledore shook his head at the end of Harry's tale and thought to himself for a moment. Harry began to think of what else he needed to know, such as how to destroy a horcrux, how to know if he found one, and if he himself was one.

"That is an interesting story Harry, very interesting. Almost thrilling I might say. Which reminds me, I do still need to recount that thrilling tale of how I destroyed my hand don't I? I have left my pensieve in the care of my brother, Aberforth, and left in it the memory of when I destroyed my hand for you to view at your leisure. Please talk to him; he is a very valuable source of information, not to mention my brother. He should be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year actually… He did promise…" Dumbledore mused.

"Professor, sorry to shake you out of your thoughts, but I have some questions for you."

"Alas, I would have thought I had given you all the answers Harry, they were right there, right in front of you. But I suppose not, we shall become teacher and student once more. I would offer you a lemon drop, but I'm not exactly sure where they are."

"My question Professor?"

"Oh right, of course Harry, I apologize. Go on, what would you like to know?"

"Well, how am I supposed to know if I found a horcrux, and how am I supposed to destroy one for starters."

"Speak to Aberforth, he will tell you. It is all in the pensieve as well. It is much easier if you find the details for yourself there. Next question."

"Am I a horcrux? Or is my scar?"

"Hmm," pondered Dumbledore. "I had thought of this, especially in your second year, when you spoke parseltongue. I had asked Professor Snape if you were in fact a parselmouth, and he proved to me that you were, in a way I would have rather wished not happen, but nonetheless achieved the desired result. I wondered what exactly happened that night, the night Voldemort lost his powers, and transferred some of them to you. I thought it possible that Voldemort had in fact given you a piece of his soul, the piece that had been torn to kill your mother. It would have answered a lot of questions I had. But I couldn't be certain, and I didn't want to worry you unnecessarily. I thought I had the answer when you traveled to the ministry in the body of the snake. My little instrument seemed to confirm that you were not, in fact, a horcrux. It told me Voldemort was present in the snake when you were there. It then told me that two Voldemort's were present. That intrigued me. I was almost sure that I was right about my horcrux theory, but I was still not positive. I later turned out to be correct, and in fact two pieces of Voldemort's soul had inhabited the snake at the same time you were there, and so I naturally decided that Nagini had been made into a horcrux."

"But that doesn't explain why I have some of Voldemort's powers, such as parseltongue, if I'm not a horcrux."

"Yes, Harry, quite right, it doesn't explain why you have some of Voldemort's powers. The only thing I can think of is that the killing curse, when it reflected because of your mother's sacrifice, created a sort of link between both you and Voldemort. Your scar was the outward representation of that link. And when Voldemort essentially died, the link was broken, almost like your Priori Incantatum duel in the graveyard. You won, since your soul was much more powerful than Voldemort's, and therefore Voldemort was forced to flee, but he left some of himself in that link, and therefore in your scar. That is the only other explanation I could come up with aside from you being a horcrux. But I could not bring myself to admit that you were a horcrux. It just couldn't be true. So, I came up with this, which is, in my opinion, the only other solution. I doubt that we will ever truly know what happened that night. That day, Hagrid took care of you, saved you from the ruins of your home, and brought you to me, so I could take a look at you. It had actually taken a lot more time than I had originally thought. We kept you for almost a whole day, while I wrote a letter to your Aunt and Uncle, trying to explain what had happened, but failing miserably, while Hagrid played with you, keeping you happy. You had been very distraught, even by a baby's standards. We checked you over, to make sure you were still all in one piece, and decided that you would survive. I then made the decision to send you to your relatives' house. I invoked the ancient magic I would need to keep you safe while in their care; because of your mother's sacrifice it was them who I chose. After that whole day pretty much flew by, you settled in for a decade of life as a muggle."

"I guess that makes sense," Harry stated slowly. "Ok, two more questions I think. Snape," Harry growled angrily.

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry."

"Right, him. Why did you trust him? And please don't tell me, 'that is a matter between Professor Snape and myself.' I have to know. Also, why, if you trusted him so much, would he turn around and kill you."

"From what you told me Harry, it was either Severus kill me, or else he would be killed. I was already dying as it was-"

"You were already dying?"

"Yes, as you yourself heard me tell you, Lord Voldemort would not want to kill someone who went looking for his horcruxes right away, but kill them slowly, so he had time to find out why they were looking for them in the first place. That potion was killing me, it sounded like, and that would have been why I called Severus, and only Severus, as he had helped me after the incident with the ring. He knows of the horcruxes Harry, if not because Voldemort told him then because he deduced it. He is not without a capable mind."

"Ok fine, Snape isn't stupid, but why did you trust him?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry and sighed. "That is a question you will have to ask Severus. I cannot answer your question, not because I don't want to or don't know, but because it is a secret I cannot divulge. Only Severus can give that information away, it is under something similar to the Fidelius charm. I'm sorry Harry, I can only tell you to trust him."

"But how do you expect me to trust him when he killed you professor? I don't even like him; I hate him."

"I am not asking for you to like him Harry, I am merely asking for you to trust him. You are both on the same side. Like your godfather did before you, could you please just set aside your differences and trust one another. I know you can Harry."

"I'll think about it after I talk to him. We have a lot to talk about. It doesn't seem like you're giving me much choice," Harry grumbled. It was his allusion to Sirius that truly made Harry do it.

"You always have a choice Harry. But in this case, we must all stand together united; lest we become divided by our feelings and fall, separated. As I have always told you, Voldemort's ways of spreading discord and enmity are great; therefore we must all come together. Like the sorting hat has stated, the four houses must unite if you wish to stand a chance Harry. That means with Professor Snape, that means with Draco Malfoy as well."

"Malfoy! Why are you bringing Malfoy into this Professor?"

"He is a victim of circumstances, I believe you two will need to cooperate in the end. Everyone is a potential ally Harry. You will need as many allies and friends as you can get. And as he did not have it in him to kill a person, and I believe you yourself share that trait..." Dumbledore trailed off.

"I'll think about it." Harry couldn't bring himself to say a flat out no, Dumbledore was dead, and it was difficult to argue with a dead man.

"That is all I ask."

"Okay, that's the end of the questions. What about our situation now? We need to save the professors."

"Right, do you have a plan?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well I have my cloak and a map of the school."

"Excellent, I have seen that map on a few separate occasions; a remarkable piece of magic, that is. So where are all of your professors then?"

"Well, Flitwick and Vector are safe in the Room of Requirement, I figured we would go to them for help first before we did anything?"

"Naturally," Dumbledore murmured in agreement.

"Then we would need to go to the dungeons for McGonagall, Pomfrey, and Sprout."

"That sounds good so far," Dumbledore said.

"Then that leaves Hagrid in the Great Hall, and Trelawney in the North Tower. Trelawney is with Snape and a question mark, the map didn't know who it was. Hagrid was with like 5 death eaters I think."

"Very well. Harry, do you know how this map works?"

"Of course," Harry stared at Dumbledore incredulously. "I say _I solemnly swear that-"_

"I believe you misunderstand me. Do you know how it tells you who is where?"

"No," Harry said.

"Well, it registers the person's soul, so to speak, and is able to identify this person based on their soul, and the magical signature is what is used to give the person the name that appears on the map. If you have a question mark, which means there is a magical signature, but none or very little soul. Who do you know that-"?

"Voldemort," Harry replied.

"Precisely, I believe he is trying to hear the prophecy from Sybill. She does not know it though, so it is useless. Now then, I believe you should send your patronus forms to the teachers to inform them they need to escape. Do you have a plan to escape?"

"Well, professor, Ron and I apparated into the Gryffindor common room-"

"Really?" Dumbledore looked intrigued.

"Yes, how did that happen, I thought we aren't able to-"

"To apparate or disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds, you are correct Harry, as I'm sure Miss Granger has repeatedly reminded you about that fact. That means the wards must be down. We can use that to our advantage. I am going to teach you how to communicate with your patronus, and we will tell the teachers to apparate to Hogsmeade, or another safe location. I don't believe Hagrid is able to apparate though, so you will have to rescue him. As for the rest, they are all quite capable of apparition. So then, you will summon your patronus." At Dumbledore's pause Harry and Ron cast _Expecto Patronum _and watched as Harry's stag and Ron's terrier burst from their respective wands.

"Now, you will point your wand at your patroni and non-verbally cast the incantation _defero _and then tell your patroni what you would like to say, and to whom they should deliver their message to. Try and keep it short, because the longer it is, the more difficult it is for them to take the message. When you are finished, just think _defero_ again, and they will go."

Harry thought, _defero, _and said, 'apparate to Hogsmeade, Hogwarts wards down' and thought to send it to Flitwick and Vector. He let Ron send his to McGonagall, Pomfrey, and Sprout, because his patronus was smaller, and Harry didn't know if they could be seen. Hagrid and Trelawney, they would have to take care of on their own. Harry didn't want to risk Voldemort knowing that Harry was here at Hogwarts as well. A few minutes later, Harry and Ron saw different patroni coming back to them. Harry looked at Dumbledore to confirm whose patroni they were.

"The cat belongs to Minerva, the mouse is Filius', and the plant like one is Pomona's."

Their message was all the same: Thanks Harry and Ron, 5 of us in Hogsmeade.

One however, was different: Hagrid and Trelawney still there, wards now up.

"That didn't work well at all. Now they know the wards are down. Why were they down anyway?" Ron said.

"Professor Dumbledore took them down when we flew back to Hogwarts that night. They must have never been repaired. We need to get Hagrid and Trelawney. Professor, what do you think we should do now?"

"Check the map."

Harry looked, and saw that only Snape was with Trelawney, and that Voldemort had moved and was outside, restoring the wards. Harry and Ron knew it was their only chance to get Trelawney.

"Bye professor, we'll hopefully be back."

"Good luck Harry, Mr. Weasley."

Harry and Ron took off outside the office, noticed the Lestranges were still bound. The cloak was back on, and just for safe measure Harry cast an _incarcerous_ and bounded the two of them with cords. They ran as fast as they could under the cloak to North tower, constantly checking the map. Snape was pacing outside the trap door. They checked the map; they still had time. Harry cast a _Petrificus Totalis_ on Snape, non-verbally, just to get him back for that night. Harry let the cloak fall from his head a little bit, enough for Snape to notice, and then replaced it. They opened the trap door and found Trelawney, who looked the worse for wear, as if she had been tortured for a while.

"Professor, we have to get you out of here. Come on." Harry cast the disillusionment charm on Trelawney and grabbed her arm. Just to be safe, he also cast a _silencio_ on her as well. He led her out the trap door and they ran back as fast as they could to Dumbledore's office, Harry kicking Snape along the way. He _may_ trust him, but that didn't stop him from being a greasy git. They made it back to the office and sent Trelawney through the floo to the Hog's Head, after casting a _Finite Incantatem, _and telling her that the rest of the teachers were at Hogsmeade. Harry looked back at Dumbledore once they had returned.

"Well Harry, that went by rather smoothly, something that doesn't normally happen in our lives," commented Dumbledore.

"Yeah, now if we can just get Hagrid. How many death eaters in the Great Hall?" asked Harry. He looked at Ron, who looked at the map.

"Five: Mulciber, Crabbe, Goyle, Alecto, and Amycus."

"That's just great. Well, what do you think we do? We can get two of them, maybe three, but then the other two will make it an all out duel. And by then the rest of the death eaters will show up. We need a plan Harry, we can't just storm in there."

"Always the strategist Ron, some things never change," Harry said with a laugh. "Alright then, what do we need to do?"

"Take out five death eaters."

"Ok, well I have a plan, we go in, we find Hagrid first, check out their positions, and just let it go from there."

"That's not much of a plan Harry."

"We don't have enough time for anything better, just let the circumstances play it out for you, you can't prepare for a battle like chess, the pieces move more than once a turn."

"Yeah, I guess you're right Harry. You know, you make a pretty good leader, I think you'd make Dumbledore proud." Ron had no idea how much that statement meant to Harry, he was really lacking in leadership confidence.

"He's right you know," broke in Dumbledore. "You have an aura that just screams out to trust you Harry, it helps everyone else who have lost faith to regain it. I have noticed that. I feel somewhat safer when I am with you, if I am feeling weaker than normal."

"Thanks, let's just hope Hagrid is able to say the same thing. Let's go Ron, bye Professor Dumbledore."

"There is no need to tell me good-bye Harry, I expect I'll be seeing you shortly." And on that note, Harry left the office heading towards the Great Hall, Ron right next to him under the invisibility cloak. They made it to the huge double doors and noticed that it was open. They squeezed through the opening without anyone noticing them, and they looked around the room. Crabbe and Goyle were off in one corner, Mulciber was torturing Hagrid with the cruciatus, but Hagrid refused to scream. Alecto was seated at the Slytherin table, her back to the rest of the hall, and Amycus had his back to her at the Hufflepuff table. Crabbe and Goyle were both facing Amycus and Alecto's back. Harry motioned for Ron to stun Amycus and Harry would take care of Crabbe and Goyle. It would be a tough angle because they both had to stay under the cloak. If they pulled it off, Harry could then take off the cloak and go after Mulciber, leaving Ron to deal with Alecto. Harry and Ron both aimed their wands at their respective targets.

Harry held up his hand and counted down. Three, two, one, stun! Harry fired his first one at Crabbe, who fell back into Goyle, surprised, Goyle stared and blinked stupidly, before Harry took him down as well. Harry quickly cast a cushioning charm underneath them so it wouldn't be heard, and they seemed to float onto the ground without a sound. Harry smirked triumphantly. He turned to see Ron's progress and saw Amycus slumped in his seat. Ron had gotten him. Harry pulled off the cloak and headed for Mulciber, watching Ron head the other way and quickly stun Alecto. Harry watched as Mulciber taunted Hagrid, then saw him turn and stare, shocked, at Harry. Harry cast his stunner but Mulciber dodged.

"Think you can save your pathetic friend eh Potter? You have no idea how wrong you are. Macnair!" Harry watched as the Great Hall doors swung open, and he watched as Macnair walked in, Lucius Malfoy behind him. Pettigrew scurried in behind Malfoy as well as did Bellatrix Lestrange. She sneered at Harry, who returned it gladly. Ron was still under the invisibility cloak, and for that, Harry was glad for small miracles to say the least.

"So, if it isn't wittle baby Potter. You miss me baby?" asked Bellatrix, taunting him.

"Actually, yes I did," Harry responded, growing bolder by the second. "I needed a dummy to use for target practice."

"You'll pay for that Potter!" And they attacked, Malfoy coming from his right, Bellatrix from in front, Mulciber behind him, and Macnair on his left. Pettigrew just stood off to the side, watching hesitantly. Harry heard a shout and spun around, watching Mulciber collapse onto the floor, rigid as a board, courtesy of Ron's full body bind no doubt. Three on two, they could handle.

Harry heard Bellatrix scream in delight, "_Accio Invisibility cloak." _Harry would not let his godfather's murderer touch his cloak. Fortunately, neither would Ron. "_Protego_," Ron shouted, and the cloak stayed on him. He pocketed it and began dueling Bellatrix. Harry had his hands full with Malfoy and Macnair. He was dodging and firing spells, but it was no use, they kept him in the middle. Harry dodged a cruciatus curse and sent back its way a Reductor curse. Malfoy retaliated with another cruciatus, that Harry was unable to block. He found himself twitching uncontrollably on the floor and Malfoy laughing at him. He just made sure he didn't scream.

"Too slow yet again Potter. I don't know how you lived to see seventeen." But then, Ron banished a chair at Bellatrix, who ducked, and it slammed into Malfoy, freeing Harry of the curse.

"Alright there Harry?" Ron yelled as he dodged a flash of purple light from Bellatrix.

"Hanging in there."

Harry got back to work on Malfoy and Macnair. Malfoy fired another reductor curse and Harry summoned a chair to take the hit, then dropped to dodge Macnair's spell, which was a violent purple slash. Malfoy was forced to jump out of the way and Harry turned his attention to Macnair. Harry threw an _impedimenta_ jinx at Macnair, who ducked. Harry then fired off a series of hexes, with an _immobulus, _an _incendio, _and a _langlock,_ to glue Macnair's tongue to his mouth. All three hit, catching him on fire, slowing him down, and preventing him from speaking. Harry turned back to face Malfoy.

"It's time we finish this. I am tired of wasting time. _Avada Kedavra._"

Harry ducked from Malfoy's _Avada Kedavra _and returned it with another _sectumsempra_, the spell he learned from Snape's potions book. Harry heard Malfoy scream and Bellatrix curse. After Harry ducked though, Macnair's full body bind hit him from behind. Harry dropped to the floor, but instantly was able to get back up. He looked at Macnair and saw that Malfoy's killing curse had got him. Harry smiled grimly and returned to the battle, two on two was much easier. Bellatrix began casting killing curses at Ron, who was becoming efficient at dodging them, and was actually holding his own. Harry was having a little trouble with Malfoy, but then had a sudden inspiration. He cast the spell, _levicorpus._ Malfoy was instantly upside down in mid air.

"Like having the spell you used on the muggles at the world cup back at you Malfoy?" Harry stunned him and let him drop unceremoniously on to the floor. Harry watched as Ron dodged one of Bellatrix's spells, and fired back a reductor curse, which hit her in the leg, making her fall to the ground. He stunned her and then turned around to free Hagrid. Harry ran over there to help. Hagrid looked like he had passed out form the torture.

"Hagrid. Hagrid, we're here. Wake up Hagrid, its time to get you out of here. _Enervate._ Hagrid!" It was then that Harry realized one of Bellatrix's stray curses had hit Hagrid. That was it for their friend. Harry just stared at his very first contact in the wizarding world, and let a tear fall down his cheek. Harry couldn't believe that was it. Hagrid would no longer be able to laugh with him, or envelop him in a giant hug. Harry just couldn't believe it. That was now two people Bellatrix had taken from his life. A fire flared up inside Harry he didn't know existed. A burning rage filled his heart. He hated Bellatrix about as much as he had hated Snape. He strode over to her and snapped her wand, her eyes filled with fear. Harry kicked her a couple of times, hopefully breaking some ribs, and pointed his wand at her, his arm shaking, but his wand steady nonetheless.

"You have taken too many people from my life. I don't ever want to have to see you again." Harry prepared himself to kill Bellatrix, but found he couldn't cast the killing curse. He just couldn't do it. It wasn't him. Harry knew he didn't kill people. He raised his wand though to cast an equally bad curse, the _sectumsempra,_ but his wand flew out of his hands.

"So Potter, we meet again. And the weasel too. How nice."

"Malfoy." Harry stared at the pale blond boy in front of him, who was dangling Harry's wand and standing near a stunned Ron.

"What do we have here? Is that my Aunt Bella you were trying to kill? Now now Potter, you must play nice. You shouldn't curse a defenseless woman."

"Your Aunt is no woman Malfoy, she's a-" Harry couldn't think of a word strong enough to describe Bellatrix, so settled for a word he had heard Ron use.

"Language Potter. Manners too, my, my, aren't we forgetful. I see your giant friend is dead now too. About time." Harry's eyes blazed at the mention of Hagrid and he stared at Malfoy, about ready to kill him with his bare hands if he had to.

"You didn't seem so tough on the Astronomy Tower, Malfoy. What happened there? I thought you wanted to be a death eater."

"Don't talk about things you don't understand Potter. Even a pathetic half-blood like you should be able to understand what I am doing."

"Really? It looks to me like you're just biting off more than you can chew, and now you're having to suffer the consequences."

"I wouldn't be talking, you're the one who is incapable of suffering the consequences of your actions. Saint Potter never does anything wrong. Hah! Rubbish, you got Diggory killed, you got your mutt of a godfather killed, and you got that oaf of a groundskeeper killed. And, you don't even face up to it. It's never your fault. Always blaming it on someone else. But who are you going to blame things on now Potter? Huh?"

Harry's fury showed on his face, not only because he was angry at Malfoy, but because deep down, he knew Malfoy was right. He had blamed Snape for Sirius's death after awhile, for goading him, but that wasn't really it. Cedric, well he had told him to grab the cup, granted it wasn't entirely his fault, but Harry hadn't felt much remorse. And Dumbledore… Harry had as good as killed him too. But he always blamed it on someone else.

"You're right," Harry said quietly. As much as he hated to admit it, Malfoy was right. Harry needed to learn to be responsible for his actions. Malfoy's jaw dropped. That clearly wasn't what he was expecting.

"Of course I am Potter. I tried to tell you back on the train, our first year, but you went and chose this path. You chose your path, and I chose mine. We'll see if our paths cross again. But you know what Potter; I'm tired of you. I'm just going to let the Dark Lord have you. He can kill you the way he has wanted to for so long. _Stupefy_."

And Harry, too shocked to do anything, and almost willing to welcome death, let the curse hit him and he fell to the ground. He felt someone _enervate_ him sometime later. He looked into the eyes of Peter Pettigrew.

"Wormtail? What are you doing?"

"Here, here is your wand. And Ron's. Get out of here. Hurry. Before the Dark Lord comes back. Consider us even. You saved my life, I'm saving yours."

Harry stared at the man who had betrayed his parents. Apparently, people did have a shred of goodness in them like Dumbledore liked to believe. Harry nodded at Wormtail, and then, as an after thought spoke.

"Thanks."

Harry revived Ron, grabbed Hagrid, and then realized he didn't know how to get out. But then, Harry had an idea.

"Dobby!"

"Master Harry Potter sir, and his Wheezy, and, oh my, what happened Master Harry Potter sir?"

"It's a long story Dobby, but do you think you could apparate us somewhere safe? Maybe to Hogsmeade?"

"Sure thing Master Harry Potter sir. Grab my arm." And so, Harry grabbed Dobby's arm, with one hand on Hagrid's enormous body, and Ron grabbed Dobby's other arm, and they took one last look at the Great Hall, Pettigrew had already ran off, and as Dobby began to take them away, Harry saw Voldemort walk into the double doors. Their eyes met and Harry's scar raged with a fury he had never felt before. Voldemort raised his wand at Harry.

"_Avada Kedavra." _The spell flew at Harry faster than he had ever seen before. Dobby apparated them away on the spot.

They collapsed onto the ground of Hogsmeade.

Okay guys, that's all I've got for now. So leave me a review, let me hear what you think.


	8. A Thrilling Tale

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 8: A Thrilling Tale

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry and the gang head to the Hog's Head to view Dumbledore's thrilling tale and ponder what he told Harry and Ron, find out there's something about Dobby, reveal to Ginny the prophecy, wonder about Voldemort's upbringing, and head to Grimmauld Place.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: And I'm back, hope you all enjoyed that long chapter, took me like three days of working at it nonstop. I've developed ideas for the next couple chapters, and will hopefully get the next three out before the tenth, when I head back to school, after that, updating will be extremely slow because of AP classes and soccer practice, as we start our season on the 6th. So for now,I am barely working on chapter nine, so the update a day will more than likely have to slow down a bit. Sorry for that. I hope all of you are enjoying the story so far, and for now, I submit for your entertainment, chapter 8: A Thrilling Tale._

Harry picked himself up off the ground, having to lay Hagrid aside to get up. He was crushed, mentally and physically. Hagrid was gone, the first person he had ever truly met, and all because of Bellatrix Lestrange, she had a habit of taking people from him. Harry was beyond angry with her; he was ready to kill her, after Hagrid's death started to sink in, but he knew he wasn't a killer. It just wasn't him. Harry looked around, Dobby was smiling proudly at having completed his task, and Ron was on the ground still. Harry shook him and Ron slowly raised his head. Harry let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Harry helped Ron up, while Hermione and Ginny led the professors to Harry and Ron.

"What happened Mr. Potter?" asked Professor McGonagall.

Harry couldn't answer, too afraid to choke up at his own words. Instead, he just pointed down at Hagrid and held his head down. He heard the girls all gasp. Harry vaguely heard Ron telling that tale how Bellatrix had been aiming for him but he ducked, and it must have hit Hagrid. Hagrid had been cheering Ron on through all the pain. Ron looked no better either though, Bellatrix having hit him with a few nasty curses. Pomfrey helped to heal him and then moved over to look at Harry. She checked him out, and after she was satisfied, they all looked at Harry. Harry had a sudden inspiration.

"Dobby?"

"Yes Master Harry Potter sir?"

"Do you think you could help to clean up Grimmauld Place for people to stay at, maybe even grab Winky to help you?"

"Right away Master Harry Potter sir, anything for the most greatest and bravest wizard I is ever having the fortune to meet."

"And why do you keep calling me master Dobby?"

"Master doesn't know? Professor Dumbledore has given me and Winky to you, to server the most ancient and noble house of Potter, and Dobby is proud to be your humble servant sir."

Hermione gave Harry a look that seemed to scream slave owner, so Harry knew he had to straighten this out.

"First of all Dobby, you aren't my servant, you are my friend. There are going to be some conditions if you and Winky will be working for me. I want you to wear some decent clothes still, like you have been, nothing like how you were with the Malfoy's, and I also am going to be paying the both of you. We can work that out later." Harry looked at Hermione, and she gave him the slightest shake of her head as if to say, that's fine for now. Harry relaxed and sent Dobby on his way.

"Ok, now that that is taken care of. Professor McGonagall, why don't you and the rest of the professors stay at Grimmauld Place for now, until we can work something out? It would probably be a good idea to summon the order wouldn't it?"

McGonagall nodded. They all apparated away to Grimmauld Place, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny at Hogsmeade.

"Well, what happened? How did you even get to Hogwarts?"

"We apparated into the Gryffindor common room-"

"You can't apparate or disapparate inside Hogwarts!" Hermione shouted.

"Yeah well, that night Dumbledore died, I forgot, he and I flew into Hogwarts on our brooms and he was doing some weird stuff in the air, he must have been taking down the wards. Of course he died after that so no one knew the wards were down. So we just apparated right in."

"Oh," she said quietly. Her infallible fact from _Hogwarts, a History_, was disproved. It was really all she could say.

"Then we saw where the death eaters were with the map, stunned the Lestrange brothers, and had a talk with Dumbledore. A long talk with Dumbledore." Harry explained the basics of what Dumbledore said, and how Harry was not a horcrux, and explained how Dumbledore had decided that. Ginny seemed thoughtful, it looked like Hermione had informed her of what they were up to after Harry ok'd it. He then recounted their quick lesson on sending messages by patronus, how they saved Trelawney, and their duel to get to Hagrid. Harry also remembered to say how Malfoy got involved, and that Pettigrew had saved him, thus repaying the life debt. Voldemort walked in right after Harry called Dobby, and they escaped before the Avada Kedavra hit them. Hermione and Ginny were a good audience; they gasped in all the right places. Once they were finished Hermione looked at Harry thoughtfully.

"That's amazing Harry. We can talk more about it later. Speaking of later, I also wanted you to see the camcorder from the vault. But that can be another time. For now, what do we do? Head to Grimmauld Place?"

"Not yet, we need to go to the Hog's Head. Dumbledore said he left a pensieve with a memory of how his hand was injured. He also said we needed to talk to Aberforth. Ginny, I suppose Hermione already filled you in on everything, because you don't look confused?"

"Yeah, she told me all about the hocruxes."

"They're called horcruxes Gin." Ginny blushed.

"Right, those things. That's a lot of stuff we have to take care of."

"We? You aren't coming with us, you need to go back to Hogwarts." Harry regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"I don't think the school will be opening anytime soon Harry," she said, somewhat coldly. Harry thought that was it, but he was in for it.

"What did I tell you about trying to protect me? I refuse to sit at home and wait to hear from you, if you are ok, safe, alive. So yes, it is we."

"Ginny, you do understand how important it is for me that you stay safe. If you're with us, you'll be more of a target."

"Won't I also be safer, with you three I mean? Besides, if I stay at home and am a good little girl, I doubt that that will keep me safe. You could always use another person anyway Harry, and if I'm with you, won't it be easier to 'protect me.'"

"She's got you there, mate," said Ron.

"She did hold her own last year, and at the Department of Mysteries, Harry. You know you would rather have her with you, because if she isn't you'll just be worrying about her all the time." Hermione looked at him, waiting for his response.

Harry realized that he already knew what he was going to say. He had known it ever since the idea first came into his head.

"Are you sure Ginny?"

"Yes. I'm with you where ever you go.

"We are too!" chimed in Hermione and Ron.

Harry now understood how Dumbledore had felt on their horcrux mission. He figured it would be appropriate that he say the same thing. So he did. Harry finally fell into acting like a leader, being quidditch captain had helped a lot, and now that he was burdened with the responsibility, it was time to shoulder it and take charge.

"You guys mean a lot to me. But I want you to know, that if you all are following me, I'm in charge, yes?"

"Of course mate," stated Ron as if that was the simplest thing in the world. Hermione and Ginny nodded fervently.

"That means you will do whatever I say?"

"Right, we'd follow you to hell and back Harry," replied Ginny loyally. Harry sincerely hoped they wouldn't have to.

"That also means, that, if I say for example, that you all need to run away, go hide, or go back, you will do asI say."

"I-" at Harry's stare they quickly agreed. "Of course Harry."

"If I say that you all need to hide, you will?"

"Yes."

"If I say run away, or apparate away, you will?"

"Yes."

Harry prepared himself for what he was going to say next, and Dumbledore's words came out of his mouth, sounding as foreboding as they did when he heard them the first time around.

"If I tell you to leave me and save yourselves, you will do as I tell you?"

They looked at Harry oddly. He met each of their stares, and waited for a response.

"Ron?"

Ron kept his head down, but looked up and blue eyes met green. Harry saw the loyalty and resolve set in them, but this was important. He was not having his friends die for him.

"Yes Harry."

"Ok. Hermione?"

She bit her lip nervously and stared at Harry, hoping beyond hope that it would never come to that. Harry could see it in her eyes.

"I will." Hermione seemed to resign herself to the fact that Harry would not let her go if she didn't say she would obey.

"Ginny?"

Her chocolate brown eyes, always filled with happiness and love, turned to Harry, and stared into his emerald green ones. Harry could see the fear swimming in the brown waters, and could see that if he forced her to do that and survived, she just might kill him from the waiting.

"Ginny? This is important. I refuse to let you go with us if you aren't going to listen to what I tell you."

"Yes Harry. If it comes to that, I'll leave." She sighed loudly. Harry chose to ignore it.

"Thank you. That's all I needed. Now let's start this thing huh? Let's find out how to destroy a horcrux. To the Hog's Head everyone."

They began walking and chatting amiably for a few precious moments. Something dawned on Harry, and he turned to Hermione.

"By the way, Hermione, I want you to see about getting a clock like the Weasleys have, that tracks the four of us, but on something small, like a watch or a ring perhaps. And maybe make it an emergency portkey as well."

"Sure thing Harry. I'll look it up."

"Knew I could count on you," Harry replied confidently. Hermione beamed.

They approached the Hog's Head and found it was a mess. Everything was overturned, and it was in ruins. They walked around the pub, Hermione and Ginny turning things over. Harry went with Ron upstairs, and they searched through each room. Just when they got near the last room, Hermione gave a shriek.

"I found the pensieve!" Ron and Harry left the last door closed and headed back downstairs quickly.

"Ok, here's a bottle with the memory. Here Harry, you do it." Harry did as he remembered Dumbledore do during their lessons, and he asked if everyone was ready. They all went in with Harry into the memory. They were falling for a time; Harry held both Ginny and Hermione's hands, while Ron held Hermione's other hand. They landed on the floor, hard. They stood up and brushed themselves off, then looked around. Harry found Dumbledore, and they all headed over to him. Harry watched Dumbledore set the ring on the floor, and then cast a spell.

"The Reductor Curse," Hermione whispered. Harry nodded in agreement, then watched as a spectral image of Tom Riddle rose out of the ring. Harry watched as Dumbledore waved his wand in a circle, followed by a stab through the center, and a sweep of his wand. Harry watched as the soul seemed to descend towards Dumbledore's wand. Harry watched as right when Dumbledore started the sweep, the soul attached onto his hand and entered it. Harry stared, shocked. He heard Ginny gasp and Hermione scream. Harry heard Dumbledore swear, and then watched him do another long and complex spell, hearing his muttering all the time. Then he jabbed his wand at his arm and let out a yell. His arm began to decay, and Harry watched in morbid fascination as the arm slowly began to burn, and die. Harry saw Dumbledore apparate on the spot, and the scene changed. He ran up to Snape, who had a potion ready.

"That's what Snape told us about first year. It's the potion that puts a stopper on death." Hermione gave an involuntary gasp.

"That means Dumbledore was already dying since the start of the year?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded. They were thrown out of the pensieve and landed back in the Hog's Head.

"We didn't really learn how to destroy a horcrux did we? Or how to identify it. Dumbledore did all this non-verbal stuff."

"Well, the ring did have a jagged line running through the middle," said Hermione thoughtfully.

"Ok, so look for something that has a jagged line running through it. Did the diary have that?" Harry thought back.

"I don't remember," said Ginny quietly.

"You destroyed it though."

"Yeah, strange, how come I was able to destroy it without anything happening to me, and Dumbledore does this complex spell and almost kills himself?"

"Maybe it was the basilisk poison?" said Ron.

"I don't know Harry, oh I wish I did. This is bugging me."

"Not used to not knowing things huh Hermione?" asked Harry sarcastically.

"I need to go-"

"To the library," finished Ron, Harry, and Ginny.

"How did you know to use the basilisk fang anyway Harry?" asked Hermione, ignoring the remark.

"I don't know actually. It just well, it just seemed like that was what I needed to do, like I knew I was going to do it all along." Hermione looked thoughtful again.

"So what do you think about what Dumbledore said? About you being a horcrux, err well, not being a horcrux?" asked Ron.

"Well, I'm glad he had an idea about me not being a horcrux. It would make it really hard to beat him if I was the one that kept him alive. Although it would make the prophecy make more sense."

"Prophecy?" asked Ginny.

"Oh," said Harry. "I forgot to tell you about that. There's this prophecy that says I'm the one with the power to beat Voldemort, and umm, one of us has to kill the other one because we can't both be alive? Or something like that. And I have power he knows not," finished Harry. "And according to Dumbledore," he added, "that power is love," Harry finished mock-dramatically, throwing his hands in the air.

"So you're a marked man?"

"Funnily enough, the prophecy says I was 'marked as his equal' so yeah," Harry said nonchalantly. He actually knew the words to the prophecy by heart; it was something that haunted his dreams. At least, when other nightmares weren't taking their turn. How was he supposed to kill a man that was the strongest Dark Wizard in over fifty years? When he, Harry, was only seventeen? It was a tall order. And love was supposed to help him do it? Right. Harry could hear the sarcasm in his own thoughts. "Let's see, the whole prophecy: _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"_

"And the N.E.W.T. level analysis: 'The One' is going to be born at the end of July, to parents who have defied Voldemort three times. Voldemort will mark this person as his equal, but this person will have a power that he doesn't understand, or he doesn't know this person has. And one of them has to die by the other's hand, because both of them can't live while one of them is surviving. So I guess that means I'm not alive huh? Wonder what I have to be to be alive. Hermione?"

"Harry? I've been thinking... what about the 'either must die at the hand of the other?' It doesn't actually say you have to kill him, does it? Just that one of you has to die _at_ the other's hand. That could just mean you have to be next to him, not that you have to kill him." Hermione looked at HArry, trying to gauge his reaction. Harry began to think how ironic it would be if the prophecy didn't mean that Harry was the oneto kill Voldemort, that he just had to be there when it happened.Harry looked at her doubtfully, but not wanting to disappoint her, gave her a nod that said, 'yeah, maybe.' He waited for Hermione to continue.

"And for your question, well, being alive means you're in full possession of your soul. And Voldemort doesn't have all of his soul, so he isn't alive, he's just surviving. But you Harry, you have all of your soul don't you?" Harry snorted.

"No, actually I threw a party with a couple dementors back in the day, and they scared me pretty bad you know, since they look like the muggle grim reaper, and I was fooling around with one of them and it kissed me a little bit. So I actually don't have all my soul."

Everyone stared at Harry incredulously.

"Sorry, I'm feeling a bit sarcastic today."

"You shouldn't joke like that Harry," reprimanded Hermione.

"Yeah I know, just it's hard to take it seriously all the time, or else I'd have a breakdown. Hey, speaking of dementors, I wonder why the dementors are so attracted to Voldemort. It's not like he has a soul. Maybe that's why he can control them."

"Or else they control him," joked Ron.

"Yeah Ron, you're right. They snuck in when he was a little kid, and they babysat for him at the orphanage," Harry joked as well. Hermione looked between Harry and Ron.

"You don't think that's possible do you?"

"No Hermione we were joking," said Harry.

"No really, it would make sense. I honestly doubt Voldemort was born evil."

"You're mental, he's the most evil thing in the world. And he wants to be immortal because he's too afraid of death. He's basically saying, you know what, I don't want to be a human. He had to be born that way." Ron stared at Hermione, and Harry waited for the arguing to begin.

"I don't know," said Hermione skeptically. "You know, it would make sense why he's paranoid of death. I mean, if dementors did baby-sit him like Harry said, he would think they were the grim reaper. That would make anyone terrified of death. And he was with muggles so he would be the only one who could see the dementors. It would make a lot of sense. I almost feel bad for him if that were true, I mean, he wasn't really given much of a choice."

"Sure he was, just because he was paranoid of death doesn't mean he has to go kill people Hermione. He made a choice, just like we did. He got along all right at Hogwarts at first, according to Dumbledore. No, he chose the path he took, and I chose mine," Harry said, not wanting anyone to feel pity towards Voldemort. He already went through that with Dumbledore. Harry decided to change the subject.

"Tell you what, Aberforth isn't here right now and I don't know how to get hold of him, so how about we head to Grimmauld Place, you can look at Sirius's library, and the rest of us can just try and understand what's going on?"

Everyone nodded their consent, so together they apparated to Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

Time to review everyone, and please do, it really encourages me.


	9. On the Tip of Your Tongue

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure 

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 9: On the Tip of Your Tongue 

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry and company head to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, do some research, have it out with the order, uncover R.A.B., and they themselves are uncovered as well.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Hey guys, hope you liked the mini Hogwarts battle. I tried to make it realistic and slowly build Harry's leadership, that chapter was a big step. Just let me know If I get them too OoC. I'm working on it. Also, I'm level with you all now pretty much. I don't have any more chapters that bam I can update daily, unless I write them. When I started I had about five chapters already written, so I apologize if the updating starts to slow down, just stay with me. Thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading. Without further ado, I submit to you all, my beloved readers, chapter 9, On the Tip of Your Tongue._

They arrived at Grimmauld Place and Harry immediately decided he needed sleep. He walked up to his room and collapsed on the bed. Ron followed suit. They had a tough day. When they woke up again, Harry realized it was already Ginny's birthday. It was still early though; the watch Mrs. Weasley gave him said it was only 5:00 in the morning. Harry decided to wake Ginny up, and give her a good birthday present, as she had done for him. Harry tossed on the invisibility cloak, sneaked by a snoring Ron, and closed the door gently behind him. He snuck into Ginny's room and just sat there admiring the beautiful _sixteen-year-old_ girl in front of him. He absentmindedly played with a loose strand of her fiery red hair and twirled it in his hands. He just soaked in her radiant beauty and admired how peaceful she looked when she slept. There wasn't very often when Harry and his friends were actually peaceful. She stirred softly and groaned. She began to rapidly blink her eyes and Harry hid under the cloak once more.

"Harry?" she asked sleepily. Harry lifted his hand and tugged at her hair again. She swatted at him but otherwise took no notice.

"Is that you?" Ginny slowly sat up and looked around. Harry decided to surprise her. He inched slowly towards her face, and when he was ready, he pulled the cloak over her face and kissed her full on the lips. Had her mouth not been busy with Harry's her scream would have echoed throughout the whole house, and woken up the screaming portrait of Mrs. Black. Harry chuckled as she realized it was him and got serious on her kissing. Right when Ginny got in the mood, Harry pulled away. She reached out to grab him but he retreated back under the safety of the cloak. He came back to her once more and presented her with his treasure from the Potter vault. He slid the promise ring onto her finger and heard her inhale a breath and not let it out.

"Harry… it's beautiful." Harry let out the breath he had been holding too.

"I'm glad you like it. That's my promise to you. That ring. It promises you…me."

"That's so sweet Harry." Harry thought it was kind of corny but if she said it was sweet… She pulled him back and kissed him again, not to snog him senseless for hours, but just one kiss. And that one kiss was one of the sweetest kisses he had ever had. It promised a lot of things, he could almost feel her happiness and his spirits lifted as well. She bit Harry on the tip of his tongue and Harry let out a gasp. They both heard Hermione stir so Harry slipped the cloak back on, kissed her once on the forehead, and ran back up to his room.

He pulled the cloak off and tried to catch a few more hours of sleep, but Ginny kept flashing in and out of his mind. He finally relaxed and fell asleep but was shaken awake in what seemed to be minutes later by Ron.

"Harry- HARRY. Get up!"

"Whads hapnin?" Harry muttered intelligently.

"Ginny's birthday!"

"I already gave her to it." Harry found himself having a hard time waking up. He had been having a funny dream about an elf and a necklace. And something about a bowl of punch? No, no that wasn't right. Potion? Maybe. It was on the tip of his tongue, if he could only remember it. It seemed, important somehow. Frustrated, Harry sighed aloud, and got out of bed, prepared to face the day, and whatever it would bring.

"Finally," grumbled Ron. "I'm starved." Harry snickered. Ron was always hungry. They trooped down stairs and met up with Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys for breakfast. Harry noticed that most of the professors were either asleep or had left Grimmauld Place. They ate breakfast in silence, weary from yesterday's events and talked about many different things. Harry sat there, silently eating his bacon, and contemplating his next move. He supposed he would have to talk to Dobby, and he would definitely need to speak to the order. McGonagall was as good a contact as any. Harry still held reserves about informing Ginny of the horcruxes, but he rationalized it. If Harry hadn't told her, she would have found out through her own means, and then Harry would have been in for it. Not to mention, she might have followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and not know what she was getting herself into. Harry realized he had to inform her, if nothing else to scare her off. He wanted at least one person to know what they were doing in case they didn't make it back, so it could be carried on. But Ginny was determined to follow him 'to hell and back' as she had put it, so Harry resigned himself to telling at least one more person about the hocruxes. He had narrowed it down to Remus, McGonagall, or- well actually, that was pretty much his list. Harry decided he would tell them later, before they went on their first mission. He excused himself from the table and wandered around the house.

There were so many memories. Where to start? Harry just walked through the rooms; he noticed Dobby and Winky had done an excellent job cleaning up. He found himself in the room they had spent so long cleaning. He remembered back in the summer of his fifth year, they had thrown out tons of stuff. It was Harry and the Weasleys versus Kreacher and the house. That had been an interesting fight. They had thrown out tons of stuff: that strange music box, that heavy locket that none of them could open, those books about Wizarding genealogy, a lot of pictures, medals, they had covered pretty much everything and thrown it out. Or at least tried; Harry remembered catching sight of some of the shrieking photo frames in Kreacher's little hide away spot. So everything might not have survived the purging of 'the most noble and ancient house of Black.' Harry never noticed when Ginny came to his side but noticed when she brushed the tear that had graced Harry's cheek.

"Sirius hated it here. I can see that. There are just too many memories, and they must be even worse for him, I mean if it was so bad you ran away? I would have run from the Dursleys too but I had nowhere to go. Can you just imagine? And then being shut up in here without being able to go anywhere, feeling helpless and useless, left behind and having it rubbed in your face." Harry looked at Ginny, and to his shock, she was crying. The tears fell freely. Harry pulled her close and brushed her hair lightly. "What's the matter Gin?"

"That's exactly how I feel every time you leave. Maybe now you understand how I would feel if you left me." Harry realized that subconsciously, that is what had gone through his mind, and that was what had made him make the decision of letting Ginny in on the mission Dumbledore had given him.

"I'll never leave you Gin. I'm always right here." Harry looked up and realized they had been walking for a while. They were now in front of the family tapestry. Harry pointed at a burned up whole in it.

"That's Sirius. You can barely make out the date of death on there. I guess it updates it. I wonder how that works. And there's his brother, Regulus. When did he die? Oh, it says in 1980."

"That's around the time you were born, wasn't it?"

"Nearly. Well, it depends what month, what does it say?"

"November 5th."

"Then yeah, it was a little after Halloween, so I was already born. It was after the prophecy too, Dumbledore heard it around Halloween."

Harry slipped his hands into his pockets and fingered the fake locket he had found with Dumbledore. He wondered about the identity of the mysterious R.A.B. Harry had decided it had to be a death eater, since he called Voldemort, the Dark Lord, and that was really all he knew. Then, something clicked in Harry's head. It was on the tip of his tongue, if he could just remember. Hah! Alphard, _that_ was Sirius's uncle's name. It could be his middle name too. R.A.B.

"You don't think- no, no it couldn't be. Could it? They said he backed out- was killed a few days later, sounded like he knew the prophecy, I mean saying 'meet your match' gives that one away, but could it be that simple?" Harry mused aloud.

"Huh?" asked Ginny.

"What do you think, could it be true?"

"Oh yeah sure, since I know _exactly_ what you're talking about," Ginny said sarcastically.

"R.A.B., look."

Harry handed Ginny the fake locket and she read the note.

"And you think it's-"

"Regulus Black. They all said he was a death eater, but that he backed out and was killed a few days later. It all fits. He could have even heard about the prophecy. It all makes sense. But that means he got the locket."

"And it's here. Grimmauld Place!" Harry stared at Ginny incredulously.

"How do you know that?"

"We saw it awhile back, when we were cleaning out the house in the summer. That heavy locket, that none of us could open? I think that was it."

"But we threw it out didn't we?"

"Maybe. Let's look."

Harry ran back to find Hermione and Ron, Ginny hot on his heels. They found them sitting on the bed in Ron's room, and when Harry walked in, they sprang apart, as if two people on either side of the room had just cast summoning charms at the pair of them.

"We know who R.A.B. is," Harry said, cutting straight to the chase.

"Who? I've been trying to find out who it was."

Harry relished the moment that he knew something Hermione Granger didn't, and then looked at her.

"Remember the note? 'To the Dark Lord.' Who calls Voldemort, the Dark Lord?"

"Death eaters," stated Hermione.

"And who do we know that's a death eater?"

"Well there's a lot of them Harry; there's Snape, Malfoy, Bellatrix-"

"That's dead?"

Hermione bit her lip as she sat, contemplating what Harry said. Ron looked up at Harry, excitement shining through his eyes.

"You don't think that it's-"

"That's exactly what I think," said Harry.

"But that's great then, we already can find the locket," exclaimed Ron.

"You know, it's really annoying when you talk about something that I don't understand, not to mention rude," said Hermione, resentful that she didn't understand yet.

"Now you know how we feel every time you think of something and just talk in sentences that would take years for us to understand."

Hermione bit back her retort, wanting to know who R.A.B. was. "Well, who is it then?"

"Regulus Black," proclaimed Ginny. Hermione gasped.

"Then the locket was here over the summer," said Hermione, connecting the dots like Ginny had. Ron swore.

"But we threw that stuff out."

"Maybe not," said Hermione. "Kreacher kept trying to save it and put things like that in his little bedroom. Let's go look. Just to be safe, we should look around the house too."

They moved out, Hermione and Ron conveniently deciding they would check around the house for it, while Harry and Ginny headed to Kreacher's, for lack of a better word, room.

"Well Gin, this is it." Ginny nodded. They began to sort through all the blankets and photographs that Kreacher had rescued but couldn't find a thing. There was nothing there, nothing at all. No locket. Harry knew it couldn't have been that simple. He walked back downstairs, defeated, and ran into Hermione and Ron, who looked like they had just been snogging. Harry bit back his comment and looked at them.

"Right, this is silly Ron. Look, just do this. _Accio locket._" Hermione waved her wand, and about a dozen lockets flew at her, knocking her in the head, the chest, and the stomach. She fell onto floor, knocked out. Ron ran to her side and tried to get her to wake up.

"Hermione, Hermione no, come back." Ginny walked over to Ron, pushed him aside looking exasperated because of her brother's actions and cast an _enervate_ on Hermione. She blinked her eyes and looked around. Ron looked sheepish, Harry, amused.

"Well, there's all the lockets in the house," Hermione said with a silly grin. They sorted through them, but no locket. Well, no real locket. They were all just regular lockets, not ones that held a portion of Voldemort's soul. Harry looked defeated again.

"What do we do now?" asked Ron.

"We have to find that locket. I guess that means we threw it out," said Hermione.

"Wait," Harry said slowly.

"What?" they asked.

"What if Mundungus stole it? He was stealing a lot of things from Sirius, well from me I guess. Maybe he took the locket too."

"It's possible," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Then we need to talk to Mundungus Fletcher," said Ginny. Harry still felt a little hesitant about including Ginny, but she had been the one who remembered the locket.

"Where is he anyway?" asked Ron.

"Who knows," sighed Harry.

"I do," exclaimed Hermione triumphantly. "Azkaban."

"Azkaban?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Azkaban, he was sent there for impersonating an inferi, I remember reading about it."

"Then it looks like we need to go to Azkaban. Ron, talk to your dad, see if he can arrange us a meeting with Dung. Tell him it's because I need to know where he put some things of mine." Ron nodded and left the room. Harry sat there quietly, thinking about different ways to kill Dung for putting him through this much trouble. Boiling him in a stolen cauldron was appealing, as was getting him married to Umbridge. But that, Harry wouldn't even wish on his worst enemy. Ron returned after about fifteen minutes and broke the silence, because no one had said a word after he left. Each of them had been thinking about what would happen if Mundungus had the locket, or worse, if he didn't have it..

"Dad said he would talk to Scrimgeour. He should be back soon, he said he would floo back and tell me." At that moment they heard the fireplace come to life and Mr. Weasley's head was sticking out of it.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny," he said, giving each of them a nod as he said their name, or at least as best of a nod as he could, as his head was the only thing they could see.

"Scrimgeour said he would arrange it for tomorrow afternoon, but that he would want a word with you after you took care of it. So he said you can go to Azkaban around 2:00 and then when you're finished, he would have someone escort you to his office so he could talk with you."

"Thanks Mr. Weasley. Umm, how am I supposed to get there?"

"We can go to the office and there's a portkey that will get us to the docks. From there, we'll take a boat to Azkaban and you can have your meeting with Dung. Ron said he stole something you need."

"Something like that, I'm not sure if he has it, but I'll find out. Thanks Mr. Weasley, I appreciate it," Harry said sincerely.

"Not at all Harry, not at all." Mr. Weasley left and Harry looked around at his friends.

"I suppose that means he's going to try and recruit me to be the poster boy again. I'd really like you all to be with me when I go talk to Scrimgeour, so I guess that means we're all going to Azkaban together. You don't have to though; it's up to you. I'm not sure if the dementors are there or not, so it may be pretty bad. But I'll let you all decide."

"Of course we'll go with you Harry," stated Ginny emphatically. Ron and Hermione looked at him, trying to decide if he had thought they would have said no.

"Then that's settled. We'll head off to Azkaban tomorrow. Hopefully, by the end of the week, we'll have our horcrux." Everyone looked determined, and Harry realized he should lighten up the mood.

"But for now," Harry reached down and scooped Ginny up in his arms, carrying her to the dining room, while she squealed in surprise and delight, "let's celebrate Ginny's birthday." They headed into the dining room and sat down, ready to help Mrs. Weasley cook if she needed it. She waved them off, saying it was nearly finished as it was. She announced it was ready and served them their food. Fred and George came down, as did Charlie. Bill walked in and Ginny threw her arms around him screaming "Bill! You came!" and laughed when he tussled up her hair. She sat back down and began to eat her birthday meal. Mr. Weasley arrived as well and pretty soon it was an all out Weasley feast. They talked about their day and later on, when they neared dessert, the visit Harry would pay to Azkaban was brought up.

"Harry? You're going to Azkaban Island?"

"I have to Mrs. Weasley, I have to talk to Dung." Mrs. Weasley looked reproachful at the mention of Dung's name, she apparently still harbored ill feelings towards him, but Harry was just happy it wasn't directed at him, yet.

"Is it ok if I take Ginny and Ron with me? Because afterwards, I have to talk to Scrimgeour, and I want them with me in case he tries to do something that I wouldn't understand, and they're the experts on politics." Harry watched as Mrs. Weasley thought about what he said. There was really only one answer she could give.

"No, I'm sorry Harry, I can't let them go with you."

"Thanks Mrs. We- wait what?"

"I don't want them going with you to Azkaban. I'm sorry, but that's my decision. I can't say anything for Hermione, but I don't want them going."

"Mum, I'm going to go either way. I'm of age." Mrs. Weasley looked torn when Ron said that.

"Fine, Ginny, you aren't going."

"Mum!"

"No Ginny, I'm sorry, I am not going to let you go there when there are death eaters in Azkaban. I'm afraid for you and I'm not going to have you put up with any of that. You are staying and that's that." Ginny stormed upstairs, ignoring the fact it was her birthday, and left the room, furious. Harry made to follow after her, but a hand from Ron told him not to go. Instead, Hermione went after her. They came back later and had cake, Ginny looking a bit calmer and resolved, Hermione looking fatigued. They finished the dessert and Hermione announced she was going to go sleep. Ginny wouldn't let her though and grabbed her by the hand. They headed outside for some Quidditch.

"And I give you Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, aaaaaannnnnnd Weasley!" announced Fred, mimicking the announcer as they trooped onto the Quidditch field. It was Bill, Charlie, and the twins, versus Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron.

"Against them will be the youngsters, and I give you Weasley, Granger, Weasley, aaaaaaannnnnnddddd Potter!"

"Okay, here's the deal, two chasers, a seeker, and a keeper. Bill will be our keeper, Ron will be yours obviously. Ginny and Hermione can be your chasers, and the twins will be ours. And that leaves me and you as seeker Harry," said Charlie.

"Right!" said Fred.

"They say you're pretty good Harry. We'll see."

"Is that a challenge Charlie?"

"Maybe, Potter. Maybe it is."

George released the snitch and tossed up the quaffle and the game began. George passed it between Fred, and even though they were beaters, they still had a pretty good connection with each other. They tossed it over Hermione's head and headed on goal. George faked right and threw it left. Ron easily read him and made a one-handed catch.

"Maybe next time, 'oh brother of mine.'" mimicked Ron. Ron tossed Ginny the quaffle and they went on a counter. Hermione tried to keep up with Ginny, but she was just too good. Ginny faked out the twins and came up at Bill, one on one. She feinted left and threw it center, scoring on Bill. Harry let out a whoop. They continued like that for a while, going back and forth. Ron came up with three more quality saves. Fred complained they would have to admit Ron was really a Weasley now. Harry laughed but noticed Charlie going into a dive. Harry swore and spun on his broom, trying to make up for time. Harry saw the tell tale glint of gold and raced Charlie for it. His Firebolt easily outstripped the cleansweep and he reached out to grasp the snitch. Smirking, Harry watched as victory was taken away from him. Charlie had longer arms and was able to knock Harry out of the way, but he missed the snitch, causing it to fly up. Charlie reached again but he was too far behind Harry for him to notice that much. Harry arched his back and spun sideways to grab for it, reaching out at full stretch. He managed to get hold of a wing and closed his fingers on it.

He then felt a nauseatingly familiar pull on his navel and stared in horror at the snitch.

Review time guys. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	10. The Forsaken Fortress

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 10: The Forsaken Fortress

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry learns about Fidelius Charms and what happens when the secret-keeper dies and realizes Grimmauld Place is no longer safe, the hard way. He also visits the Forsaken Fortress: Azkaban Island. He has an interesting encounter with Dung, which sends him further along on his quest for the locket.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: First off, a shout out to In Need. That is no problem; the constructive criticism is welcome. That's what reviews are supposed to be for anyway, to say what needs to get better or what not. Thanks a lot. I will try to work on the golden trio, see what I can come up with. I put more Ginny in it because most of these people are like, Harry/Ginny, yay! I'll try to get them both in there, it will become far more apparent in the horcrux hunting, Harry is just trying to get his relationship back on track with Ginny, and not trying to feel awkward around Ron and Hermione because now they have an official relationship as well. But I'll see what I can do. I'll work on the OoC Harry as well. If you could just let me know of one example next time so I know where to start it'd be appreciated. Anyway, about the chapter, well, it took me awhile to decide how I wanted to work the snitch, if it was a portkey, or if it was Charlie's hand reaching for the snitch and grabbing Harry behind the navel instead. It was a tough decision. I hope you enjoy the outcome. Here is Chapter 10, The Forsaken Fortress._

Harry prepared to scream, but nothing happened. Nothing seemed to come out. He had fallen off his broom, and was still grasping the snitch in a death grip. He felt himself hit the ground, hard, and looked up in a daze. Everything was dark. He could barely see. His head drooped, and then in an instant, he passed out.

When he finally regained consciousness, Harry was nervous about opening his eyes, afraid of where he was. So instead, he pretended he was still out cold and let his thoughts wonder about what was happening.

The snitch was a portkey. That much was obvious. But where was he? Harry had no idea. Thankfully, he had his wand when he had been playing Quidditch, so at least he wasn't unarmed. He wondered what exactly had happened, and how the snitch had been made into a portkey.

Their Quidditch set had been stored at Grimmauld Place for some time now. Had someone gone in and tampered with it? Or was someone under the Imperious Curse?

Harry stopped in his thoughts. Dumbledore was dead. Dumbledore was secret keeper for the order. When he died, did the Fidelius charm die with him? Was Grimmauld Place now visible for everyone to see? That would explain how someone had gotten in and altered the snitch. What was Harry supposed to do now though? He realized he would have to open up his eyes, and face his destiny. He opened them, slowly, and took in light, a lot of light. He felt around for his wand and realized with a start it was gone. Harry was in a room, and he was alone. He cautiously crept towards the door and opened it slowly, letting a sliver of light escape from the room. He peered around the edge of the door and saw no one was there. He walked out slowly and headed towards what looked like an exit. He had no idea at all where he was. He realized the snitch was not in his hands either, so he had no way of getting back. He opened the door and realized with a start he was in Little Hangleton. He was in the house on a hill, the Riddle House.

Outside, death eaters were mounted on brooms, desperately looking for what seemed to be the snitch. Harry realized if he found the snitch, he could get back to Grimmauld Place! But he didn't have his wand. He would need that. Harry went back inside, hoping against hope that he would be able to make it back out in time. Harry heard one of the death eaters talking from a side room, and he crept closer to listen.

"We need that portkey! If you catch it, call everyone back and we all will gather around, so we can begin the attack on Grimmauld Place. Once you catch it, to activate it, just point your wand at it and say Avada Kedavra. That should do it. There are plenty of brooms here, just grab one and head out." Harry ran to the side and watched as about seven death eaters went to join the flyers outside. The door remained open. Harry glanced inside and saw no one else was there. He headed in and stole a broomstick. On the way out, he happened to notice a cauldron brewing. _Snape_, he thought darkly. He looked at the book that lay open next to it and read the title of the potion.

"Separating the essences of a wand." They wanted Harry's phoenix feather. That wasn't good. Harry needed that. It helped save him. The Priori Incantatum was what he needed. He looked around and saw a wand lying there. With a start, he realized it was his. He grabbed it, hoping his phoenix feather was still there, and headed outside on the broomstick.

The death eaters were all flying around and never noticed when another person joined in. Harry began looking for the snitch, pouring everything he had into looking for it. He spotted a glint of gold by the graveyard and urged his broom that way. He streaked a trail behind him and headed for the snitch. He looped the headstone and spun sideways between two graves to snatch it. His hand closed around the snitch and he collapsed onto the floor. He pointed his wand at the snitch and used the words he thought would never come from his mouth.

"Avada Kedavra."

Nothing happened. They had apparently gotten rid of Harry's phoenix feather. His wand was useless. Harry pocketed it anyway, and headed back towards the death eaters. He needed a wand. He would have to get one, by maybe knocking one of them out. But how was he supposed to do that without a wand?

Harry had an idea. It was very stupid, but it might work. After all, it was the best idea he had.

"Hey, it's over there!" Harry yelled. Two of the nearest death eaters looked at him and saw him heading towards the graveyard. They both followed him, looking for the snitch. Harry slowed and let them both pass; one went right, the other left. Perfect. Harry took off after the one who went right, and tailed him. He caught up to him and the death eater turned to look at who was next to him. With a start, they recognized each other. Harry was looking into the eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"Potter," he growled.

"Malfoy," Harry returned, equally malicious.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"No Potter, you are supposed to be inside. How are you out here?"

"I left the room."

"But it was magically charmed!" protested Malfoy. "And you had no wand," he continued. "Professor Snape showed me your wand. And he had burned the phoenix feather. So how could you have escaped?"

"I don't know Malfoy. I guess somebody likes me." Harry had slowed down and was steering Malfoy towards a headstone, so he could ram Malfoy into it and take his wand.

"Nobody likes Potter," he spat. "I'd rather fall in love with a mudblood."

"Well Malfoy, you aren't very high up on my list either, but I have something to tell you."

"What Potter?"

"Rest in Pieces."

"What?" And with that, Harry rammed Malfoy into the headstone, knocking him off his broom and into the grave. He looked dazed, but he wasn't knocked out. Harry felt his robe and found his wand. He pulled it out triumphantly.

"Bye Malfoy. Nice knowing you. Tell them I said hi." Harry raised Malfoy's wand and put his other hand holding the snitch in front of him. Harry couldn't resist taunting Malfoy a little bit.

"Avada Kedavra," Harry spat. Malfoy screamed. As Harry spun away, having effectively activated the portkey, he couldn't help but notice Malfoy looked like he needed to change into a new pair of pants. Harry smirked and was whisked away, back to Grimmauld Place, with both his and Malfoy's wands in tow.

Dazed, Harry collapsed onto the floor of the living room of Grimmauld Place, unsure of why he was feeling so ill all of a sudden. He heard Ginny's scream reach his ears and he just lay on the floor, trying to gather his strength. Something had been speaking to him, right before he left. He could almost hear it again in his head.

"Come to me… We can reunite… Stronger…"

Harry had no idea what it meant, but it had happened when he and Malfoy had landed near the grave. It had been Riddle's grave, that is, Voldemort's father's grave. Harry didn't know what it was. Maybe it had been Nagini? Harry didn't have a clue. Unfortunately, he figured he would have to go there, because it seemed important to do so. He felt somehow compelled to return there. Harry couldn't explain it. He was almost drawn there, like he had to be there. But he couldn't go now. All the death eaters were there.

Harry saw Ginny looking at him and he realized he was lying in bed, on the couch in the living room. He hadn't noticed when that happened, but he looked up at Ginny questioningly.

"Harry, are you alright?" asked a concerned Ginny.

"I'm fine," Harry said, not really paying attention to what was happening. "We need to recast the Fidelius charm. It wore off since Dumbledore died. Get Flitwick here, quick. Have Ron send him a message by patronus."

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" She smacked Harry upside the head, and then ran to tell Ron. Harry pulled out his trusty wand and stared at it, saddened that his friend was no longer able to help him. He had liked his wand: holly and phoenix feather. The feather was from the same phoenix in Voldemort's wand. It was actually Fawkes's feather. Fawkes! Harry could fix his wand. He just needed Fawkes. Harry wondered if calling out his name would summon him.

"Fawkes? I need you." Harry called out tentatively. Nothing happened. Harry waited. Still nothing. He tried again, but louder, and more confidently.

"Fawkes!" A flaming bird materialized in front of Harry, and it dropped a single feather in front of Harry, before disappearing once more. Harry held the feather up, looking at it closely, examining it to make sure it was real, and to get the feel of it. He now had the feather, but he would have to reinsert it into his wand. How was he supposed to do that? He wasn't a wand maker. He needed Ollivander, or at least, someone who knew things about wands.

His thoughts were interrupted when Ginny walked into the room. Most of the time, when he saw her, he had trouble making any coherent thoughts, let alone intelligent ones. She said something about Flitwick and Harry remembered they needed to recast the Fidelius charm. Harry saw Hermione and Ron walking in behind Ginny, holding hands and whispering softly.

"Hermione?" Harry asked. Startled, she looked up, and a blush began to form on her cheeks.

"Yes Harry?"

"Do you know what I need to do to fix my wand? The feather is gone but I have one to put back in it. Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm not a wand maker Harry but…" Hermione dragged Ron back to the library and they stayed in there for a few minutes. Harry sat patiently, awaiting the results of her research.

She ran back into the room, a smile on her face.

"There is someone else at Diagon Alley who works on wands. You can talk to him. We can go tomorrow if you'd like? You know, after we go to the ministry and all." Harry sighed; he had forgotten he had to go to the ministry and talk to Scrimgeour. It wasn't very high up on his priority list.

"Ok, thanks Hermione." She beamed at him and returned to her whispered discussion with Ron. At that moment, the doorbell rang and Harry went to go get it, but was cut off and berated by Ginny for getting out of bed, well, off the couch that was transfigured into a bed, so Ginny went to get it instead. She returned with Professor Flitwick in tow.

"Ahh Harry, what can I do for you?"

"Hi professor, well it seems like the house was under Fidelius charm but the secret keeper died…" Harry trailed off.

"Ahhh. I see. And you wish me to recast it with a new secret-keeper."

"If it's not too much trouble."

"No, no not at all. Who would you like to be secret-keeper?"

"Well I figured it should be me, since it is my house and all."

"That's fine. All right then, come over here, err well I'll go over there. Keep in mind the name #12 Grimmauld Place, and picture the house in your mind."

Harry closed his eyes but heard the scratching of a quill, more than likely Hermione's, as she tried to learn the charm. Harry kept focusing on the house and saw it in his mind's eye. He waited for Flitwick to finish the charm. After about 30 seconds he began to feel warm and tingly inside. After about a minute, the house disappeared from his mind entirely, but then reappeared.

"There you are, that's it. You will need to write parchment for everyone and tell them where the house is but then you are finished."

Hermione handed Harry some parchment and her quill and Harry wrote:

_Harry Potter's house is at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place._

He then passed it around to everyone present, and they were now able to see the house once more. Harry wasn't sure what they saw after the charm was cast, but it didn't matter.

"Thank you Professor."

"Don't mention it Harry, always glad to be of assistance," Flitwick squeaked. "If that's all then, I'll be off." Everyone chorused a goodbye to Flitwick, and then sat in the living room, lost in their thoughts.

"I don't know about you all, but it's been a long day and I'm going to get some sleep. Good night everyone, and Happy Birthday Ginny," Harry said, a weary smile coming on to his face. Ginny beamed at him and raced over, kissing him goodnight. Harry smiled wearily once more, and trudged up the stairs, before landing on his bed and promptly falling asleep.

When he awoke the next day, he knew right away that he was running late. He was supposed to be with Mr. Weasley and head to Azkaban around two, and it was already one or so. Harry quickly got up and showered, then dressed as fast as he could and headed downstairs. Hermione and Ron were already waiting for him. Ginny was nowhere in sight. Harry grabbed a piece of toast and looked at his friends. Ron looked like he had already eaten breakfast, and Hermione didn't look that hungry either.

"Well guys, this is it. Azkaban. You all ready?" They nodded solemnly. They all prepared to apparate to the Ministry.

"Meet you all at the Atrium," said Ron. Harry counted to three, first picturing the ministry in his mind, and then telling himself how badly he wanted to be there. Harry felt a tight grip on his arm, and then on three apparated away on the spot.

He popped into existence and met up with Ron and Hermione, and then together they headed off to see Ron's dad.

"So Ron, what now?"

"Well, I guess we'll just get the portkey from my dad and head off to Azkaban." Ron gave an involuntary shudder.

"It'll be fine mate, most of the dementors are gone anyway. Otherwise, I don't think I'd be able to handle it myself." Harry gave Ron a lopsided grin, which Ron returned. Ron clapped him on the back saying 'that's my best mate' and grabbed Hermione's hand. They headed off to find Mr. Weasley, and Harry kept having the feeling that someone was watching him, or following him. It was unnerving.

"Hey Dad!" yelled Ron.

"Hi boys, Hermione," replied Mr. Weasley. "Here is the portkey, it should activate at two on the dot. I won't be able to go myself, they have me swamped right now, I'm sorry, but you all should be ok. There will be an auror escorting you over there, and then he will bring you back to Scrimgeour. Take care you all."

"We will," they chorused. Mr. Weasley smiled at them and walked back to his office. Harry sat with his friends, waiting for it to turn two. They were lost in each other's thoughts. Harry watched Ron comforting Hermione because she looked nervous. Harry felt a little out of place. It was a little bit annoying they were together. He was happy for them and all, but it made things a little bit more awkward. He had Ginny of course, but the times she wasn't there, he felt almost third wheel. It was a confusing feeling. Harry looked up and saw it was almost two and they grabbed the portkey, a suitcase, and waited for the familiar pull. Harry felt something brush his hand, and then the clock chimed two. They were whisked away to the Forsaken Fortress, Azkaban Island.

They landed at the docks and Harry fell onto the ground, but someone broke his fall. He looked under him but Ron and Hermione were across from him. Harry pulled out Ravenclaw's wand, since his didn't work and he refused to use Malfoy's ever again, and said, "_Accio Invisibility Cloak."_ Harry's invisibility cloak soared into his hand and underneath him was none other than,

"Ginny! I thought you weren't supposed to come. And why'd you steal Harry's invisibility cloak?" Ron said indignantly.

"I wasn't going to be left behind again. And besides, this isn't Harry's, he gave it to me when he found it in the vault at Gringotts." Harry looked at her and she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head, pleading him to agree with her, accept her as part of the group. Harry, angry though he was, relented and forgave her. He pulled her aside though before they got in the boat and reprimanded her.

"You know, I was going to give it to you but I didn't yet, so it's still technically mine."

Ginny kissed him and then stared at him expectantly. "There, happy?" Harry shrugged noncommittally and headed into the boat, pulling Ginny in behind him, and handing her back the cloak. Harry looked out onto the ocean and just stared at the waves. There was a thunderstorm going on and it wasn't very relaxing. Harry figured the thunderstorm matched the mood and set the tone for where they were headed. Harry held Ginny close and saw Ron doing the same. Harry watched his best friend setting a determined look in his eye, a look he knew all too well. Harry caught his eye and they both agreed on one thing: Dung was going to pay, for making them go through this. They finally reached the island, and Harry knew instantly that the dementors had left their mark. It was freezing, and Harry's light and cheerful mood from before had disappeared, to be replaced by a steel resolve. He and Ron by nonverbal agreement led the way, the girls following silently behind. Harry was glad to know that Ron was always there for him, whenever he was in need.

Harry looked around, having never been to Azkaban before. It really was like a fortress. It rose almost majestically in the air, and the building itself seemed to almost command your respect. Harry walked through the entrance in the front and saw what looked like the sewer tunnel below him right before his view was blocked. That must have been how Sirius had escaped. Harry couldn't bear the thought that Sirius had been stuck here for what was it? Twelve years? Harry shuddered at the thought. He walked inside and was met with a security guard. Just like at the ministry, they measured their wands. On Harry's though, it only said Holly, the phoenix feather was absent. The security guard looked at him questioningly, but waved them through nonetheless. They headed into a waiting room, and Dung was brought in and sat opposite them, his back to the door.

"Harry mate, how good to see you again." Harry laughed. He was sure that wasn't what was on the crook's mind, the last time they had met Harry was going to hex him into oblivion. Which he still might do now anyway.

"Did you steal a locket from me? When you raided Sirius's place, I know you stole some stuff that belongs to me. Did you take a locket; it was a heavy golden one."

Dung looked apprehensive. "I might've. Why?"

"I need it back. Now. Where is it?" Harry hoped he would finally be able to track down a horcrux.

"I don't have it mate. Sold it," Dung said proudly.

"You what?" Harry's voice was crossed between an accusation and disbelief.

"I sold it to the barman down at the Hog's Head. Ol' Aberforth Dumbledore."

Harry restrained himself from hexing Dung on the spot, only because he knew it wouldn't work since his wand was still out of commission. He had Ravenclaw's as well, but that was a secret for now. He didn't like using it unless he had to. When he had used the wand to summon his cloak, it felt, strange. The wand was almost attracted to him, like it wanted to become a part of him. Harry really couldn't explain the feeling. And what was even stranger was that Harry was almost familiar with the wand. Harry couldn't explain that either. He returned his gaze to Dung.

"You know where Aberforth is?" Harry had remembered the bar had been ransacked, and hoped that the locket had not been returned to Voldemort.

"Should be at his bar, he hardly ever leaves it," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Well he wasn't there when I went, it looked like that place had been robbed, and Aberforth was missing. He might have been kidnapped or killed. I need that locket Dung." Harry stared long and hard at the crook.

"Not much I can do for you in here mate. If you got me out though…" Dung trailed off suggestively.

"Forget it. You deserve to be in here for stealing my stuff. Just be happy that you are here, otherwise you would have a lot to be accounting for. So Aberforth has it then?"

"As far as I know, unless he already got rid of it."

"What do you mean, got rid of it?"

"Well I sold it to him because he said a friend of his needed it. I sold him a couple goblets, a picture, the locket, a music box, and a book. The book scared me pretty bad. It was some heavy duty Dark Arts. It even had stuff about horcruxes in it, and that's some pretty bad magic if you know what I mean." Harry stared at Dung; too shocked to hear the word horcruxes escape his lips to move.

"Horcruxes Dung?"

"Yeah, said a friend of his was needing it." The search for the locket was getting tougher by the minute. And Harry still didn't know how to destroy it. He hadn't even been able to open it before.

"You know who his friend was?" Harry asked.

"Not a clue. Sorry mate." He truly looked it. That would have been his ticket out of Azkaban and he knew it. It was gone now though.

"Alright Dung, thanks. You didn't really help me much but thanks anyway."

"Sorry mate," he said again. Harry nodded and walked out. They took Dung away again and Harry chanced a glance at the cells. The bars were close together. Sirius must have been really thin to slip between them. Harry shuddered in horror. Harry felt Ron do the same thing next to him, understanding once more passing between the two of them. Hermione gave a small 'oh,' and Ginny looked teary-eyed. They walked back to the entrance and met up with the auror. They hopped back onto the boat and returned to the docks. The waves were still bad and the thunderstorm still in full force, but they managed to make it back to the docks. They then grabbed a newspaper which portkeyed them back to the ministry.

"The minister would like to see you now," said the auror. At Harry's reluctant nod, they were escorted to his office. Scrimgeour was bustling about and when Harry walked in, stopped what he was doing and put his hand out to shake Harry's. Harry briefly considered not shaking it, but not wanting to be rude, put his hand out grudgingly. Scrimgeour ignored the rest of Harry's friends, which began to build the anger inside of Harry. He forced himself to calm down, using the Occlumency exercise Remus had shown him, and sat down, his friends following suit.

"Mr. Potter, Harry, how are you?"

"As good as can be expected minister."

"I hope your trip to Azkaban was successful."

"It was marginally successful." Harry wished he would cut the small talk and just get on with it.

"I was hoping you had reconsidered my deal I had proposed to you, now that there has been sufficient time for you to come to terms with the loss of your mentor."

"No," Harry said bluntly.

"It is for the greater good of the wizarding world."

"Have you released Stan Shunpike?"

"I- I'll do it now." Harry's eyes widened slightly, Scrimgeour must have been backed into a tight corner.

"Alright, I'm waiting." Scrimgeour hastily wrote a letter and sent it off by owl.

"It's done. He's out. We just need you to be popping in from time to time Harry, that's all I ask. The 'Chosen One' is a symbol of hope to the world at large, as I told you at Christmas. And now that Hogwarts has been captured, well, the only symbols of light left are Azkaban, Avalon, and you. The ministry as well of course, but we are on the downside. Azkaban, that doesn't really express the symbol of the light very well, as it a dark place, as you yourself I am sure noticed. And Avalon, well not many even know of Avalon, so really it's just you and the ministry. We should be working together, not against each other."

"If you're working against Voldemort, than we are on the same side."

Scrimgeour couldn't think of anything to say to that so he sat there, seemingly waiting for Harry to agree to be the poster boy. That was something Harry was still disinclined to do, even though Stan was released. The ministry was still making a mess of things. Harry had an idea though, but he wanted to talk with Hermione about it.

"I'll think about it. I'll get back to you. There will be conditions of course." Too eager that Harry had not directly turned him down, Scrimgeour just waved his hand dismissively.

"Whatever you need. Just come back and see me when you're ready to talk." Harry let loose an almost inaudible sigh, but knew both Ron and Hermione had caught it, and walked out of the room.

"Good day Minister."

They headed to that Apparition point in the ministry and apparated to Diagon Alley.

"What a day. Now we just need to hit Diagon Alley and talk to Aberforth," said Harry.

"Well Hermione, lead the way," Ron said. And so they headed to the wand shop, Hermione in the lead. They walked inside and Harry approached the counter. A short little man with a grey beard sat staring at him, almost appraising him.

"How may I help you?"

"My wand, the phoenix feather came out, I was hoping you could fix it," said Harry, crossing his fingers and hoping he would have his trusty wand back.

"Let me see it." Harry handed him the wand and feather eagerly, hoping it would work. He heard the man muttering and talking to himself. Harry waited patiently.

"I can have it ready for you in about an hour? Is that acceptable?"

"That's perfect," said Harry enthusiastically.

"Twelve Galleons." Harry gladly handed them over.

"See you in an hour." The man waved his hand and set to work. The four of them walked back outside.

"Well Harry, you want to check Aberforth first, see if he's there?"

"Sounds good to me. Let's just pop over there." The four of them apparated to Hogsmeade, Harry side-apparating Ginny and walked together to the Hog's Head.

"Well, let's take a look," Harry said, a feeling of foreboding coming over him. The bar was still a mess, exactly the same as before. Harry sighed. He walked upstairs and went into the nearest room, and just plopped himself on the bed. He saw a bed bug scuttle bye and remembered Trelawney's warning about the place. Harry wondered which room she had told the prophecy in. He and Ron had looked in all of the rooms except one. Harry realized he was in the room they hadn't looked in for the pensieve. He looked around the room, curious as to what he would find, and something caught his eye. He leaned over the side of the bed and looked at the glint of gold he had seen. Harry let out a scream.

"I found the locket!"

Time to review guys, hope you enjoyed it.


	11. The End of the Circle

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 11: The End of the Circle

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: The locket has finally been found, it's identity revealed, and then Harry and the gang make a startling discovery.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Ok guys, I'm back. It's been longer than normal and for that I apologize. Glad to see we hit 50 reviews, that's just awesome. We had our first game Friday, we won 2-1, I was hurt for a day or two, so I thought up the rest of the story fairly well, actually wrote one of the chapters towards the end. We then tied 2-2, and our now currently tied in first place in a 2-day tournament. But I digress. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far, and I'm glad to see you've stayed with me. School has started now, so it will be slower updating, but I'll try and up the quality. I'll see what I can do. Hope you all enjoy it, here it is, Chapter 11, The End of the Circle. (Bit of a paradox, but I like the title of this chapter. )_

Harry's triumphant scream brought the rest of his friends running. Out of breath, Hermione stared at him, as did the rest, but not as tiredly.

"Well? Let's see it?" Harry, holding the locket by the chain, allowed it to dangle in the air, suspended by his hand. The wind caught it twirled it, and the distinctive Slytherin mark was easily noticed. Hermione gave a squeal, and Ginny tackled him ferociously.

"We did it!" Harry nodded gingerly, as he helped Ginny off of him and stared at the locket. Something didn't feel…right.

"I don't think it's a horcrux you guys."

"What?" they exclaimed almost simultaneously.

"I can't explain it, I just don't sense Voldemort there. Unless…" Harry tried to pry open the locket, and it opened at his touch.

"Maybe… it's not a horcrux… anymore," Harry mused.

"You think?" asked Ron eagerly.

"I think someone destroyed it, there's the jagged line that says it is a horcrux, like the one on the ring. But who would have destroyed it? Aberforth?"

"It's possible."

"But we need to talk to him then, I haven't a clue where he is. I can't really send him a message can I?"

"Well, regardless Harry, that's one less horcrux. That leaves us something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's, the cup, and Nagini. Voldemort himself too of course."

"Well, Dumbledore said that he collects trophies… and that it would be in a place of significance to him. I can think of three important places. The Chamber of Secrets, the Riddle House, and maybe the orphanage."

"I don't think the orphanage Harry, he had the cave already as it is," stated Hermione.

"Yeah… you're right. We should probably check out the Chamber." As Harry said this, he felt Ginny give an involuntary shudder next to him. He comforted her while he thought about what they should do.

"It'll be ok Gin, we'll all be there this time." Ginny looked into Harry's eyes and nodded, but then sobbed into his shirt. 'Why do I always have to deal with crying girls?' Harry asked to the air. He patted her back awkwardly, but that seemed to be acceptable, so that was fine for now.

"Well, we still don't know how to destroy a horcrux do we? We haven't talked to Aberforth. Dumbledore couldn't really explain. Regulus is dead, so even if he did know how to destroy it, it would all be useless. Really, only Voldemort could help us, or else maybe Snape. But," Hermione looked at Harry expectantly, and saw his glare at the mention of Snape. "That's what I though," she muttered.

"Well mate, I guess we have to go back to the chamber."

"Yeah, that's what it looks like. Except the death eaters still have Hogwarts under control. We have to sneak back in. Sounds like we'll have to take the tunnel from Hogsmeade. We'll have to get the cloaks and map, but otherwise, I don't really see anything else we can do. We have to check the Riddle house too though."

"Hey Harry?"

"Yeah Ron?"

"How do you know if you find a horcrux?"

"I'll know."

"You sound pretty sure of yourself," commented Ginny.

"I'll know."

"Well, back to Grimmauld for a quick stop then huh?"

"Yeah." The group exited the Hog's Head, apparating into Grimmauld Place. Harry walked upstairs, grabbing both his prized cloak and his map. He also grabbed the knife from his birthday, and the ring that the twins had given him, which was supposed to portkey him to their shop. He slipped it on, remembering the password was, oddly enough, 'mischief managed.' He had to just touch it with his wand, like he had done with the snitch, and it would send him there. They could use it from the Chamber once they got inside. Harry headed back downstairs, map and cloak in hand, and saw Ginny holding the other cloak. He smiled grimly.

"Let's go." They returned to Hogsmeade again and headed to Honeydukes. Ron grabbed a chocolate frog that they paid for, and then they slipped on the cloaks and snuck into the cellar. Harry opened the trap door and they walked inside, Ron closing it behind them. Harry heard Ron stuffing the frog in his mouth as he said "_Lumos_." Harry held his wand like a sword and lead the way in. He heard Ron laughing and turned around to silence him.

"Harry, look." His anger forgotten, Harry snatched the chocolate frog card out of Ron's hand and stared at it in shock.

"_Harry Potter, Boy-who-lived._

_Mr. Potter is currently in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts. Many accomplishments are attached to his name, beginning with the defeat of you-know-who, when he was merely at the age of one. He has also helped to save the Sorcerer's Stone, defeated a Basilisk, winner of the Tri-Wizard cup, and has been rumored to be, the Chosen One, that is, the person whose destiny it is to defeat you-know-who. He is also the youngest seeker in a century at Hogwarts, is in Gryffindor House, and was captain of his Quidditch team."_

Harry stared at the card in shock. Waving back at him was a picture of himself on his Firebolt, racing it through the air, a smile on his face, and his scar conspicuously hidden beneath his bangs. The air would move it and his scar would momentarily appear, then picture Harry would fly out of the picture altogether.

Harry waited for his friends' reaction.

"So you have a chocolate frog card eh mate?" asked Ron, grinning widely. Not that Harry noticed, since he was pointedly ignoring the fact.

"I think you look kind of cute Harry, I mean your hair is all ruffled up, and you're concentrating, look, look at the face you're making," squealed Ginny. It was all Harry could do to not just _incendio_ the bloody card.

"We are going to the Chamber of Secrets. End of story. Now quit messing around," Harry growled. He was _not_ in the mood.

"You know Harry-"

"I said I'm not in the mood."

"I was just going to say we made it to the statue and you should check the map, but don't listen to me, it's not like I know what I'm talking about," huffed Ginny.

"Oh," relented Harry lightly. He was still trying to focus. They didn't understand how important this was. The last time he had gone to fetch a horcrux, someone had died, the greatest wizard of the time: Dumbledore.

"You remember what you agreed on right?" Looking like they thought he had forgotten, they looked up at Harry, shocked, and nodded solemnly. That was the quickest way to sober them up. He opened up the map, activated it with the password, and searched it for the death eaters. There didn't look like anything was on the map. There were a few names here and there, but no question mark, signifying Voldemort. Harry shook his head happily and handed the map to Ron. Ron turned it off and they headed out, Harry in the lead, Ginny grabbing onto his hand, Hermione following her, and Ron bringing up the rear. Under the two cloaks, they were able to make it to Myrtle's bathroom undetected, at least, until they made it to the bathroom that is.

"Harry! You've come back to see me," exclaimed Moaning Myrtle, the ghost that had died in a bathroom, and was always depressed. Harry let out a groan.

"Hi Myrtle."

"Have you come to share my toilet with me?"

"Errr- I hope not. Although I'm thankful you offered," Harry added before she took off wailing. He needed her calm and he might need her help.

"Listen, Myrtle. I have to go down there again, do you think you could keep an eye out for anyone coming in here, maybe let me know if someone does. I don't fancy getting caught."

"You, you're going down, there?"

"Right," Harry said slowly.

"And you want, you want me, to stay, stay here?"

"Yup."

"And go, go down, down there, if anyone, anyone comes."

"That's about it."

"Only because it's you Harry," she said, and then giggled.

"Err- right. Thanks." Harry smiled briefly, and then searched for the right pipe to open the Chamber.

"Found it. Watch out." Harry stared at the snake engraved on the pipe. "Open." Only, he didn't say open, at least, not in English. Harry heard the distinct hiss that told him he had used parseltongue correctly and watched as the entrance to Salazar Slytherin's infamous Chamber of Secrets revealed itself to him once more.

"Well, this is it. I'll go first." And so, Harry dove in. Ginny quickly slid down after him, and Harry was fast enough to prevent her from hitting the ground. Well, she landed on top of him anyway. It was close enough: until Hermione came. And she landed on Ginny, who was still on Harry. Harry began to groan under the weight, and made to get out of Ron's way, but he wasn't fast enough. The four of them collapsed back onto the floor.

"Ughhh. That hurt guys. Ahhh, there we go. Up you get Ginny." Ginny was starting to shudder again, and Harry didn't want her to be scared. He held her hand reassuringly and she walked so close to Harry, holding onto him so tight, Harry thought he might as well be carrying her.

"Oh, that's just sick," proclaimed Hermione. They had come upon the basilisk skin.

"And there's the hole you went through, wow we were small," chided in Ron.

"Well… yeah. I was a scrawny little kid wasn't I?" muttered Harry. They levitated the rocks aside until they could get through, and then they went on their merry little way.

"Are you going to be ok Gin? You can handle this?" She looked up at Harry.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?" he asked, tracing a circle on her cheek.

"No," she admitted.

"You'll be ok?"

"How do you know?"

"You're with me," said Harry simply.

Ginny looked up at Harry in awe. Harry turned in on himself as well. He was becoming more like Dumbledore every day. It was true though. Ginny would be safe. They came upon the entrance to the main chamber. Harry looked at the snakes and hissed at them for them to open, which they complied to readily.

The stench that reached them was overwhelming. Harry grabbed at his nostrils, as did Ginny and Ron. Hermione just pointed her wand at herself.

"Bubblehead charm?" choked out Harry, as he was still pinching her nose. Hermione nodded, and cast it on the three of them. It was a whole lot easier to breathe. Harry was able to concentrate on other things now. Like looking for a horcrux. Harry remembered that there had been an opening in Slytherin's mouth; it was where the basilisk had come from. He thought long and hard on how Riddle had opened it, and then it came to him.

"Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." The mouth opened, and nothing fortunately slid out. Harry visibly relaxed and approached the mouth of the statue.

"_Lumos_," he muttered. The others followed behind him. He searched around inside the Chamber but couldn't find anything. Then, the ground gave way, and Harry fell through, screaming all the way down.

"Harry!" Harry heard his name echoed all the way across the chamber. It reverberated around the walls. Harry landed with a splash. He stood up slowly, wincing all the while, and looked around. His wand firmly in hand, he waved it around, to try and see where exactly he was.

He tentatively put one foot in front of the other, not heeding the other's calls, and the lake slowly but surely led him into a small chamber. Inside, it was just a room. Harry looked around, but didn't really see anything interesting. He searched the table that was there in front of him, moving the chair out of the way, searched through the bookshelf, but found nothing of importance, until there was one book he tried to grab towards the end. It wouldn't move. Harry stared at the book, and an idea came into his head.

"_Accio Horcrux," _he said confidently. Nothing happened. Harry glared menacingly at the book. "_Finite Incantatum_." He tried to pick it up again, and found to his surprise that he could. Harry opened it, but it looked like a lot of gibberish. He tried to make sense of it, but he couldn't. Harry suddenly realized something; the book was written in parseltongue. Harry pocketed it, and after one more search of the room, headed back up to his friends.

"Hey Hermione, can you conjure up a rope or something?"

"Harry! Are you ok?" asked Hermione.

"Are you hurt?" shrieked Ginny almost instantaneously.

"Did you find anything?" inquired Ron.

"Yes, no, and maybe," Harry replied smoothly to the cries of his three friends. "How bout you get me out of here first?" Hermione conjured the rope and lowered it down to Harry. Harry grabbed it and together, they pulled him back to the surface. Harry lay down on the floor and sat there pensively for a while. Ginny abruptly pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Harry? What'd you find?"

"This." Harry pulled the notebook out of his pocket and tossed it at Ginny, whose chaser skills were on showcase as she deftly pulled it out of the air as she would a quaffle.

"Its just gibberish," Ginny complained. Hermione let out a gasp.

"Is this parseltongue Harry?"

"That's what I thought," Harry said as he nodded slowly. "We can work on it when we get out of here." Harry pulled Ginny close to him again, and noticed she was still a little bit nervous about being in the chamber.

"Everybody, grab my ring." Confused, they all complied, and Harry tapped it with his wand and said "Mischief Managed." They felt a pull behind their navel and were whisked away to Diagon Alley, and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Harry! If it isn't our financial backer in the flesh once again," exclaimed Fred. At least, Harry thought it was Fred. They looked identical to the last freckle today.

"To what do we owe the honor?" asked the other twin.

"Well, we were at Hogwarts and needed an easy way out, so I thought, why don't we use that beautiful portkey?" explained Harry.

Fred and George dropped into a bow.

"We are at-" 'George?' started.

"Your service-" continued the other one.

"Oh, great Chosen One," they concluded together.

"Knock it off guys. Well, it was good seeing you again. We need to get back to Grimmauld Place. Take care you all."

"So long Harry," they said with a wave. The four of them then apparated away to Grimmauld Place.

"What a day Harry, eh mate? Found the locket, and it's already long gone, found a notebook in the secret chamber of the dark lord, and now we have to still look for the bloody cup."

"I'd say that about sums it up Ron," said Harry thoughtfully.

"So where else did you want to check?" Harry had a sudden flashback to his kidnapping at the Riddle house. He remembered feeling something.

"I think we need to go to the Riddle house. I think I err, well, felt a horcrux there," Harry said sheepishly. He put his hand behind his head and scratched it thoughtfully.

Instead of looking at him nervously or confused, they all just nodded.

"Then that's where we need to go 'oh great chosen one,'" said Ron, grinning madly. Harry thought '_langlock' _and returned Ron's grin as Ron's tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. Ron tried to exclaim something at Harry, but all that came out was 'mmmgrrr,' which didn't sound very threatening. Taking pity on him, Harry released the spell.

"We can go tomorrow to the Riddle place. We need to get some sleep. And food, food is also good too. Can't do nothing if your stomach don't have food." At that moment, Ron's profound statement was proven when Ron's stomach chose to make a particularly loud rumble, which caused them all to laugh.

"Then let's eat." Ron and Hermione went ahead, and Harry pulled Ginny aside.

"Are you ok? After going back down there and all."

"I think so. Thanks Harry, I really needed that." Harry kissed her forehead and pulled her close.

"Anything for my Ginny." Ginny beamed at him. Together, they went back to the kitchen and prepared to eat another one of the famous Weasley meals.

That's as good a place to stop as any. So go ahead and drop a line, let me hear your thoughts.


	12. Good From Far, But Far From Good

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 12: Good From Far, But Far From Good

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry finally takes a look at the camera from the vault, translates part of the notebook, discovers just how close and how far he is to defeating Voldemort, and makes a return to the Room of Requirement.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Well guys, I'm back, and it's nice to see you all are still reading the story, and thanks for whomever added me to the C2. I'm hoping this chapter is to your liking, I was planning on sending them to the Riddle House, but that will have to wait a bit. Sorry last chapter was so short; I just wanted to get something out since I had the tournament and all. So for now, I submit to you Chapter 12: Good From Far, But Far From Good._

"So, what now Harry? What do you want to do?" Ginny awaited Harry's answer patiently. They were sitting on the couch, Hermione and Ron opposite them playing wizard's chess, and Harry and Ginny were cuddling quite closely. Harry had one arm around her and she was snuggled into him. She was absentmindedly caressing his arm while Harry just massaged her hand gently.

"Checkmate," said Ron from across the room, as his reckless pawn and valiant knight had forced Hermione to lose again. Hermione sighed and walked over to the couch next to Harry and plopped onto it.

"I know what we can do," said Hermione. With that, she rushed upstairs to her and Ginny's room. Harry and Ron shared a look.

"I hate it when she does that," Ron grumbled. "It only takes an extra two seconds, and then we won't be so confused."

Harry agreed with him and nodded to show his support. Ron sighed and tossed himself onto the couch. Hermione sprinted back down the stairs and handed something to Harry, grinning broadly.

"You can look at the video camera we found in the vault." Harry looked at Hermione's beaming face and sighed. Not wanting to disappoint her, he put on an excited face.

"That's a great idea Hermione."

Harry turned on the camera and set it to playback. Ron and Ginny looked on, interest showing on their face, and Hermione watched as well, anxious to see what was on it.

"I charged it because the battery was dead. It should work."

Harry watched as the memory started, and was looking at a live image of his parents.

* * *

"This is Harry's first Birthday, hopefully it will come out on this thing. I dunno, I trust Lily, but well, we'll see what happens eh Padfoot?"

Harry saw his father talking to the camera and saw Sirius give the thumbs up flash across the screen, presumably Sirius's.

"And here is my alleged godson, Prongslet."

"Alleged Padfoot? A little complex for you don't you think." Harry recognized Lupin's voice and smiled to himself.

"Hey, I can be smart when I want to," whined Sirius playfully.

"So you must not have ever wanted to be smart then huh?"replied Remus condescendedly. Sirius's face split into a mock indignant frown, but was replaced with laughter almost immediately.

"Well, let's see what the birthday boy got." Harry heard himself squeal in delight.

"Would you look at that? Harry got himself a mini broomstick."

"My godson has to show up all the Hogwarts kids," stated Sirius proudly.

"You really shouldn't have done that Sirius. I don't want him flying," stated Lily emphatically.

"Come on Lils, just because you don't enjoy flying doesn't mean Harry can't. He's a Potter! Potters play Quidditch. Isn't that right Prongsie boy?"

"I think so Padfoot, we are going to have a new chaser join Gryffindor?" said James proudly.

"Still think he'll be a chaser eh Prongs?" asked Sirius.

"Well, you're the one who thinks he'll be beater," replied  
James casually.

"Moony, you still say keeper right?" asked Sirius, confirming Moony's guess.

"Right you are Paddy."

"Lily, what do you say? Who's right?" asked Sirius.

Lily gave an exaggerated sigh. "None of you." Among the indignant cries of protests, which Lily promptly ignored, she cooed softly at baby Harry and continued.

"He's going to be a seeker." Dropped jaws met her statement.

"A seeker?" "No way." "A seeker?" "He can't be!" "Are you crazy?" "A seeker?"

Lily just beamed at them. Harry's next present, funnily enough, was a toy snitch. He grabbed it and held onto it. Lily smiled proudly.

"See what I mean?" The men groaned aloud. Then, static. Harry looked around; he had been caught up in the memory. But then, the camera started again.

* * *

"Isn't he cute James?"

"He's lovely. Is the camera on?"

"Yes it is."

"Just place it over there, so it can see the whole room. That way we both can come out in it."

"Ok, the battery is low though. It won't last long."

"That's ok, it won't take long."

Sirens were then heard throughout the room. It echoed in the eerie silence of the house.

"It's him! Take Harry and run! I'll hold him off."

Harry stared in shock. He watched as his father, wand in hand, strode over to his mother, planted a firm kiss on her lips, and turned around.

"I love you!" cried Lily.

"I love you too my Lily flower. Keep Harry safe." Harry's father then turned and raced down the stairs. Lily tried to find a way out, and Harry saw her open the door, but quickly close it. He watched as she tried to open the nearest window. It wouldn't budge. She cried out in frustration. A yell pierced the silence. Resolved, Lily walked to baby Harry and kissed him on the forehead.

"I'm sorry Harry. I really don't want to leave you. I will always be with you, here." She touched Harry's heart, and then the door burst open. Harry knew by memory what happened next.

"Step aside, foolish girl."

"No not Harry, please, anything. Take me, kill me instead."

"Out of the way!"

"Please, I'll do anything, not Harry, please, kill m instead."

"Fine, have it your way. You needn't have died you foolish woman. _Avada Kedavra_."

The green light connected with Lily, and she dropped to the floor, dead to the world. Voldemort then approached Harry. Harry watched as he pulled out a watch and the wand.

"Hmm, I can leave the wand here, and hide it here, yes, this would be a good place to hide it. As for the watch, that can be my sixth one right now. Ahh." Voldemort began a series of wand movements, and pointed his wand at Harry. Harry gasped aloud in shock. Harry watched as his scar was formed on his forehead.

"That takes care of the marking. Now, to finish it. _Avada Kedavra_." Harry watched as the green light soared through the air, and went to pierce Harry. The room glowed, and the spell rebounded. Voldemort dropped the wand, which rolled under the crib, and dropped the watch. He hit the ground, dead, but still alive. Harry looked and could see in the doorway Wormtail. Harry watched as he picked up his mother's wand and Voldemort's, and then ran off. Harry growled menacingly. It was then that his baby self began to cry. Static then ensued once more.

* * *

Harry turned his head to look at his friends, and tried to gauge their reactions. They were all mostly shocked. Harry silently agreed with their assessment. There was one thing that made him happy though.

"Well?" he asked.

"Wow, that was some crazy stuff mate. I think your mum made a vow with Voldemort; at least, I think that was what the glow was. It looked kind of like someone breaking an unbreakable vow, only they didn't make one so, I dunno," replied Ron thoughtfully. His answer surprised Harry. Ron was the expert on wizard things though, Harry still was shocked to find out about new things in the wizarding world that he didn't know about.

"You have that watch don't you Harry?" asked Ginny.

"Yup, that was his intended horcrux."

"Which means the wand was already a horcrux; is already a horcrux. Harry, we have another horcrux. Ravenclaw's wand!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Yup, you're right. We've got the something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's, the diary, the ring, the locket, and we know where Voldemort and the snake are. We just need the cup. And we'll need to destroy the wand and cup of course."

"You're right. Three more to find. Really only one, but that should be it then. We'll just need to destroy them. With Nagini, if we kill her, her soul will be released, along with Voldemort's. I don't know what to do with the wand or cup though," mused Hermione.

"Actually, I have an idea for the wand. My wand has essence of phoenix feather right?"

"Yup, Fawkes's," replied Ron.

"Well, Snape took the feather out of my wand with a potion, it removed the essence of a wand and separated it, I don't remember if you all knew that or not."

"Yeah, you told us, we had to fix it at the shop remember?" said Ginny.

"Well, what if we used that potion on the wand? It would get rid of the wand's magical properties, leaving it a piece of wood. It would probably get Voldemort's soul out of there too."

"It's worth a try," said Ron. They all looked at Hermione expectantly.

"I guess," she said slowly, relenting under their gaze.

"Where will we find the potion though? I mean, it's not like any of us know how to brew it," stated Ginny.

"We'll have to look for it. Hermione, start checking on the library, I'll have to pay a visit to Slughorn. Actually, I think I may need to head to the Room of Requirement. I'm going to need the Half-Blood Prince's book." Harry couldn't bring himself to say Snape.

"Ron, you can go with me or Hermione, Ginny, same to you. Whatever you all would like to do."

"I'm coming with you!" "I'll stay with Hermione!" they both replied, a bit too eagerly.

"Take the extra invisibility cloak then Ginny. Ron, have fun in the library," Harry said with a snicker, responding to Ron's excited declaration to go to the library. Ron blushed but turned away and headed to the library.

"Let's not go just yet though Gin. I want to do something first."

Harry took Ginny's hand and followed Ron and Hermione into the library. Unfortunately, they weren't quick enough, as Ron already had Hermione pinned to the wall and was snogging her brains out, which was remarkable due to the fact that Hermione's brain was very large.

"You know Ron, it'll take you all year to snog Hermione's brains out." With a popping sound, as if a suction cup had just been pulled off a window, Ron and Hermione jumped apart, faster than Harry thought humanly possible. Both blushed red, Ron clashing horribly with his hair, and Hermione looking as if she were sunburned.

"Well I'm just going to try and translate this notebook we found, don't mind me."

Harry sat down, Ginny bringing him a quill and parchment, and began to try and read the words. It was hard at first, but as he began to read them, his mind began to race. His hissing sounds gradually made sense, and he could understand what he was saying.

_It's done, horcrux number one has been made. The diary containing a copy of my sixteen year old self has been preserved. Eventually, Hogwarts will be purged of it's unworthy students and Salazar Slytherin can rest at ease._

_Horcrux numbers two was also finished. The ring that symbolized the relation to Slytherin has been made to hold my soul. The death of my muggle father and grandfather were used to make these horcruxes. Have now regained control of what was rightfully mine, and with interest. The Slytherin locket is back in the possession of the Slytherin line, and the cup belonging to Hufflepuff has been taken. It would be fitting to have a horcrux made of each of the founders of Hogwarts, my true home. Seven pieces of my soul, spread across this desolate place, should make me immortal, and I will no longer have to worry about the grim reaper following me as it did when I was young. _

_The locket is now a horcrux, it was made with the death of a foolish Gryffindor who tried to fight me. I shall put it in a safe place soon. I know just the place. The ring will be placed in the house of my mother. Protections will keep anyone but myself from securing it without injury. Or else, if they have the dark mark. The snake and skull, beautiful, no? It shall mark those who follow myself on the road to greatness. Tom Marvolo Riddle. I am Lord Voldemort._

Harry finished translating what was in the notebook and read it, shocked at what he had uncovered. It looks like he and Ron's offhanded joke about the babysitting dementors had been dead on. Harry read what he had uncovered and handed it to Hermione. He would read the rest later; that was enough for now. It was too much of a strain on him, reading in parseltongue.

"Ok Gin, we can go to Hogwarts now. See you later Ron, Hermione."

Harry grabbed Ginny into an embrace, slipped on their invisibility cloaks, grabbed the marauder's map once more, and apparated to Hogsmeade after stealing a kiss from the fiery redhead.

* * *

With a pop, they landed in front of Honeyduke's. They walked inside, Harry leading the way, and went into the tunnel leading to the statue. Harry activated the map with the immortal words 'I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good,' and holding Ginny's hand, walked through the passage.

They talked to pass the time by as they headed slowly through the tunnel.

"Gin?"

"Yeah Harry?"

"How are you holding up?"

"Ok I guess. I've got you again so everything else is just not as important."

Harry didn't really know what to say to that so compromised with a quiet "hmmm" and looked at the map. The death eaters had been using Hogwarts as a base of operations, and as Scrimgeour had so eloquently put it, effectively destroyed one of the remaining pillars of light. All that was left was the ministry, Azkaban, and the mysterious Avalon. Azkaban was a mess; it seemed more like a hotel where prisoners checked into and out of then an actual prison. Harry was frustrated with how this war was going. Everything was taken for granted. Harry reached the statue, gave Ginny's hand a squeeze, and opened it. The death eaters were not many.

Harry snuck up to the seventh floor, Ginny in tow and they made it to the Room of Requirement without injury. Harry was getting good at sneaking around Hogwarts. Owner of the prestigious Marauder's Map, son of one of the legendary marauder's himself, godson to the second, and student to the third made Harry very good at sneaking around. He paced three times and found himself in the room he had been in once before.

Littered around the room were copies of books, potions, weapons, and furniture, among other things. Harry looked for the old bust of the warlock he had put above the cabinet and found it. He opened the door, reached behind the cage to grab his book and-

"It's gone," Harry said softly. His words broke the silence as quietly as glass being shattered into pieces. Ginny just stared at him, their invisibility cloaks already off and lying haphazardly around their waist.

Harry began to look around the room fervently, pleading, begging for the room to help. Hr found books all right, overdue books, destroyed books, graffitied books, illegal books, but not the Prince's book, not Snape's. Harry's eyes glanced at a particular title: The Darkest of the Dark, and wondered if maybe any of these books had information about horcruxes. An idea struck Harry. What if he asked the room to present him with a book entailing the destruction of horcruxes. Harry let the idea float through his mind and seemingly reach out to the room. Harry closed his eyes and concentrated. Nothing happened. Harry sighed. He looked at the book still in his hand and tossed it onto the floor. It settled on page 147. Harry looked at it in wonder.

_The splitting of the soul, the art of horcrux making._

Harry picked the book up, marked the page, and after shrinking it with a quick spell, pocketed the book and went to leave. He turned around one last time and tried something.

"_Accio advanced potion-making_." A book flew into his hands. He looked at it. It wasn't the prince's but it could work nonetheless. He looked around a bit more, just out of wonder at what all was there, and glanced at some of the potions that were there. One of them looked oddly familiar. Harry looked around at the rest of the potions and brought them all together. He glanced at each vial, wondering what each potion contained. He thought of taking them to Hermione; she would know what they were. He assembled them all together and slipped the potion book, also shrunk, into his pocket. Ginny had been walking around, and Harry looked at her when she called.

"Harry, look what I found. Isn't it beautiful?" Harry looked at a necklace she had found. Harry had to agree, it was beautiful. It was ruby red, and matched Ginny's hair beautifully. Ginny pocketed it and after they wandered around the room, decided to head back to Grimmauld Place. At Harry's request, the rest of the Weasley family had been staying there, albeit off and on, as they still cherished the Burrow. Harry just wanted them to be safe. They would be at their house today. They had chosen a random pattern as to where they would stay, so it wouldn't be predicted. Harry grabbed onto Ginny, and the rest of the potions, touched his wand to the ring that Fred and George had given him, and said, "Mischief Managed."

Harry and Ginny waited for the familiar pull around their navel. It came, and they began to move, but were abruptly stopped, and slammed into what was apparently a portkey ward. Fortunately, none of the potions were broken, and Harry got up gingerly, wincing as he was on his feet, Ginny feeling the same. Harry helped her up, and slipped his hand into hers. They picked up their souvenirs, and headed to the door. Before they could open it however, the door opened on its own, and a shadow entered the room. Behind it, the shadow's cloak billowed menacingly in the wind, and Harry instantly recognized who it was.

"So, we meet again Potter."

There's your chapter, please leave reviews, it really makes my day.


	13. The Isle of the Light

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 13: The Isle of the Light

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry and Ginny escape the Room of Requirement, Hogwarts is under attack by the Aurors, whom are forced to flee to Avalon with Harry and Ginny in tow, and Harry discovers the Island of the Light.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: It's nice to finally have time to do things. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. It was also a bit short, but it did what I wanted, so that will have to do for now. Sorry about that cliffhanger, I'm sure you were able to guess who it was anyway. I left a few clues. Well, this chapter should be pretty good, I've decided that this story will be more or less 25 chapters long, with an alternate ending so I can do a sequel that I have wanted to do for a long time. So we are about halfway done everybody. For now, I submit to you chapter 13: The Isle of the Light._

"So, we meet again Potter."

Harry felt ready to cast the most painful curse he could think of at the man in front of him. Only Ginny's warm hand and Dumbledore's past words prevented him from killing the man. Instead, Harry settled for a growl.

"_Snivellus,"_ Harry returned at the hated potions master.

"Manners Potter, as I am no longer your Professor, I am free to curse, hex, and or injure you."

"Please; _Professor?_ The only thing you ever taught me was that it was impossible to learn something from you. I learned more from Mad-eye Moody, the real one. Your potions _book_ was a better teacher then you were, are, and ever could be."

Snape looked furious; Harry pleased.

"You know Potter, I do believe that I have taught you a few things after all," Snape said cryptically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked.

"Here," Snape said and threw a book at him, which Ginny pulled deftly out of the air. "The Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion Making, your secret to success, and my way of teaching you. There are a few potions here, I believe you are holding them, one was used in hiding a valuable item of the Dark Lord's, the same potion drunken by Dumbledore. It is a potion that shows you're greatest fears, your worst nightmares. Similar to a boggart, but deadlier, as the more you drink, the more your magic is forced to separate from your own magical core. The older you are, the harder it is. If you were to drink it, you would probably be rendered a squib. If Dumbledore were to drink it, his magic was so interconnected; it would eventually have killed him. Of course, he was already dying all last year anyway, I only finished the job," Snape finished softly. Harry thought he detected a hint of something, sadness, guilt, remorse? He wasn't sure.

"He was already dying-?"

"Yes, his arm, as I'm sure you noticed, was slowly eating him away and killing him, the only reason he survived was courtesy of myself. I put a stopper on death, as I told you I could first year if you had been paying attention. I believe my notes are in that book, you may need them."

"Why are you being so-?"

"Nice?" Snape finished for him, as if he was reading his thoughts, which, Harry thought with a bitter laugh, he probably was. "I am still a spy Potter, I still play both sides of the fight. If it is in my power, and in my interest, I will help you, as I did Dumbledore. If not, then I won't. You would do well to remember, Potter, I am on no one's side except my own," and Snape spun on his heels and walked out of the Room of Requirement, his robe billowing behind him.

"I really want to know how to do that with the robe," Harry said, trying to lighten the mood. He thought to himself for a second; how did Snape know Dumbledore had taken that potion? Ginny brought him out of his thoughts.

"Let's get out of here Harry."

"Right. We can't portkey or apparate, so there's only one other thing to do. Dobby!"

The house-elf appeared with a pop and rushed into a bow.

"I is here Master Harry Potter sir, you is calling for me?"

"Can you get us out of here Dobby?"

"I can try, the bad men has been making many wards, so's we house-elves can only apparate into and through the castle, I is only able to be getting you to the entrance," Dobby finished, looking sad that he couldn't help his master.

"That would be perfect Dobby." Smiling slightly, Dobby apparated them to the entrance, and disappeared with a pop, leaving them behind. Harry and Ginny were forced to duck, as a pair of spells flew over their head.

"Davies, get the flank, Tonks, on the right. Shacklebolt, get the far side. I've got the middle," yelled a familiar voice. More like growled.

"Mad-eye Moody," Harry whispered softly.

"Harry, the aurors are invading Hogwarts. They must be trying to get it back."

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but his breath caught in his throat. Dementors.

"Ginny, we need to get behind the aurors. Now!" Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and they took off, weaving through spells fired from both sides and death eaters who were fighting in the courtyard to get to Moody.

"Duck!" Harry yelled, and just in time too. He felt the spell rush right by his hair. He held Ginny's hand under the cloak and kept moving her along, but she seemed heavy. She was literally stiff. Not Ginny, Harry thought. Anything but Ginny. He cast a finite on her, nonverbally, but nothing happened. Harry dragged her along and finally made it to Moody, where he took off his cloak and nodded to the grisly auror. He returned his nod, and then shouted at the aurors still fighting.

"Portkey! Avalon! Now!" Mad-eye grabbed Harry and Ginny, and the familiar pull on their navel occurred, and they were whisked away to the Isle of the Light.

Harry hit the ground with a thud, and looked his Ginny over. "_Finite Incantatum," _Harry said shakily, pointing his wand in Ginny's direction one more time, looking at her chocolate brown eyes, the warm eyes that always radiated love whenever he was near. He couldn't lose her, he just couldn't. Not like this. Harry gave a silent prayer to anyone who was listening and finally risked a chance to open his eyes. Ginny was still on the floor. Harry looked into her eyes, searching for the warmth they once held. His emerald green ones made contact with the chocolate brown ones, and Harry tried one last time to revive the love of his life.

"_Enervate," _he said. Ginny suddenly sprang to life, and Harry let out the breath he was holding in, the tears he was holding in, and everything just caught him all at once, so much so that he enveloped Ginny in a hug that would have made Mrs. Weasley proud.

"I don't ever want to lose you Gin, ever," Harry said through silent sobs. He choked back the tears quickly, not wanting to cry in front of her, and his resolve suddenly came over his face. Ginny smiled.

"You won't Harry. I'll always be here. The love that someone has, however brief, stays with a person. So even if you do lose me, you won't. I'll still be right here." Ginny took Harry's hand in hers and placed it over his heart. Harry smiled wearily and locked her into a kiss, both quick and sweet. His tongue lightly played with hers for a couple of seconds, and then he pulled away. He plastered on a lopsided grin and looked Ginny in the eye.

"Since when did you become so wise?"

"Must have rubbed off on me." They both knew who she was referring to, and didn't mind the name being omitted. The silence between them spoke enough.

"Potter? Why were you at Hogwarts in the first place? And how did you get in?"

Harry looked up, barely remembering the fact that the aurors were all here with them. For all he could of cared, he and Ginny were the only people left on the world. Well, maybe Ron and Hermione too, but they were busy snogging in a library. He heard Moody's throat clear. Repeatedly. Blushing, Harry looked up.

"What were you doing in Hogwarts anyway? How did you get in?"

In short detail, Harry described the passage from Honeydukes, and why he was there in the first place. Moody nodded thoughtfully, and Harry decided he had a few questions of his own.

"Where are we anyway?" Harry asked.

"The Isle of the Light, Avalon. I'm sure you've heard of it from around Merlin and King Arthur's time. It was a magical island where Arthur went to heal from his wounds after the battle, and it is where we aurors go to train. Time slows down considerably here, and the island dictates the weather. Some days it's stormy, and really bad, and on those days, it's very bad in the real world. The island reflects what's going on outside. I wouldn't mind giving you some training while we're here, we can send you through the auror training, shouldn't take too long, and bloody useful as well, it is." Harry thought that would be a great idea. He could definitely use some more work on his non-verbal spells. They were as inconsistent as the Chudley Cannons right now.

"The island also reacts violently to dark magic, so don't use any here, or bring any dark objects here. You'll know if something like that happens when the island-" There was a large bolt of lightning that hit the ground near where they were standing. "Does that," finished Moody.

"Sleeves up! Everyone! Now!" Everyone pulled up their sleeves, no dark marks were present. Harry grabbed the wand in his pocket, Ravenclaw's wand, and felt it, wondering if maybe-

"Professor? Could you make me a portkey really quick, I think I know what's wrong." Moody grabbed a rock, muttered "_portus," _and handed it to Harry.

"Ginny, hang on to this." Harry handed her Ravenclaw's wand. "First, I'll leave, to show that it's not me causing the dark magic, then I'll come back, and take something with me, the thing that I think _is_ dark magic." Harry disappeared with the pull behind his navel and landed in Hogsmeade. He counted to five, and then the portkey pulled him back to Avalon.

"Well?" Harry asked. As if in answer, the bolt of lightning struck again.

"It strikes once every thirty seconds," Moody added. "It hit once while you were gone too."

"Ok, I'll take this with me now." Harry help up the wand, for all to see. "Make the portkey wait over a minute." Harry reappeared in Hogsmeade after Moody modified the portkey and just waited for a minute to pass. It did, and Harry was whisked back to the island.

"Well?" Again, lightning struck.

"Nothing, you were right, the wand is dark magic. What is it Potter?"

"Something I need to destroy. It's something of Voldemort's. I have to keep it on me in case we lose it."

"Alright then, I'll just tell the island to ignore all types of dark magic currently on the island." Moody popped away and came back after a small part of waiting. As Harry waited, he had counted the aurors there, wondering who all was here. He saw Tonks, who smiled at him, but that was really the only people he recognized. There were bodies of aurors on the side, and Harry looked at the body count. It didn't look good. As if answering his question, Tonks spoke up.

"Scrimgeour made us raid Hogwarts. He pulled every single auror we had. We told him we weren't prepared, and that we wouldn't be able to accomplish it, but he didn't listen to reason. We failed, and we lost some good men. I still can't find Kingsley. And the portkey was on their wand, so he should be here. Unless he's-" But Tonks didn't need to finish her thought. Harry knew. He had seen the tall, dark man on the side. Harry knew. Harry felt a little bad that he wasn't more saddened by the losses of his friends. Like when he lost Hagrid. It was just, Harry was beginning to realize that: 'the show must go on.' You can mourn, but you have to do something about it, make their death meaningful. Harry still held a place in his heart for everyone he had lost, but he understood now that he would have to wait until all of this was over. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to do what he had to do. Harry had finally come to the conclusion that he would be willing to die, if it meant ending this war, stopping further death and destruction. He was willing to accept death, embrace it. That was what made him different than Voldemort. There were some things worse than death, and Harry was beginning to realize that. Losing everyone you ever loved and cared for, and being alone in the world, now that was worse than death.

Moody came back by then, and he didn't look like he enjoyed what he was going to say. The island grew worse than before, the storm picked up.

"Azkaban," Moody said, the one word enough for all the aurors present to understand. Everyone had been pulled off, and Azkaban was-

"It's been captured by Voldemort. All we have left is Avalon and the Ministry. The Ministry isn't worth much, and nobody knows about Avalon who isn't in auror. It isn't looking good." Moody looked extremely angry. His magical eye was spinning, his real eye was glaring, and every battle scar he had seemed to radiate his anger.

"Scrimgeour needs to learn how to fight a war. He can fight a battle, he was a decent auror when he was in charge, but fighting a war is completely different." Most of the aurors present nodded in agreement.

"Potter, what do you say we train you for awhile, we can train her too," Moody said, nodding at Ginny.

"Sounds alright," said Harry, after sharing a quick glance with Ginny.

"We can send 'em through the obstacle course Mad-eye," said an auror that Harry didn't recognize.

"Good thinking. Potter, come here. Weasley, you too." Harry followed Moody, somewhat reluctantly, to a room. Ginny was right on his heels.

"Ok, here's what is going to happen. It's pretty straightforward, really. You will exit this room through that door on the far side," Moody waved his hand lazily towards the door across from the one they had entered, "and it will be a maze, similar to what you went through during the Tri-Wizard Tournament from what I've been told Potter. There will be different obstacles to pass, and eventually, you will come out of the maze, the exit is Northwest. Good luck, work together, and we'll see what you're made of. We will be above you watching, and if you need anything, shoot up some sparks, and we will come get you. So you know, there is an anti-apparition ward on the course, so don't try and apparate, we don't want you splinched. Also, Finite Incantatum is disabled. Along with enervate. I think that's it. Go get 'em."

Harry grabbed Ginny's hand, gave her a quick kiss, and led her through the door, into the maze.

"Well Gin, this is it, let's see if we know what we're do-" Harry was cut off as he was hit by a spell, and he turned to Ginny, she was hit as well. Harry heard the spell cast at Ginny, even though he missed the one that hit him. "_Silencio._" It looked like it would be non-verbal from here.

Harry motioned with Ginny to follow him, and she nodded. Harry pointed at Ginny, and made a clockwise circle with his fingers. Harry then pointed at himself, and pointed at Ginny's back. Move clockwise, and we cover each other's back, he willed her to understand. Harry met her eyes, and tried to push that thought into her head. Ginny nodded, as if in understanding, and she got back to back with Harry. They moved forward slowly, wary of what might happen.

The first thing they ran into was a dementor. Harry stared at it in shock. He felt his parent's presence, he heard Dumbledore's plea for death, he saw Sirius's graceful fall through the veil. Picturing the time he kissed Ginny in the common room, he thought rapidly, "_Expecto Patronum," _hoping for the comforting presence of Prongs. A stag burst out of his wand, but by then, Ginny had already circled to face the dementor. The stag charged and Harry turned to face it as well. The dementor faltered, and Harry suddenly saw himself dead. He was lying, face up on the ground, his emerald green eyes cold and lifeless. Ginny began to sob. Harry thought to himself, "_Riddikulus," _and the boggart vanished in a wisp of smoke. Under pressure, Harry's non-verbal skills were doing pretty good.

Harry and Ginny returned to circling, and the next thing they came across was an acromantula. Ginny fired a stunner at it, but it only faltered and kept coming. Harry held his hand up to Ginny and mouthed 'one…two…three' while counting down. They fired simultaneously and the spider crumbled. Relaxed, they continued through the maze.

Harry saw a shadow facing him as he turned the corner. He fired a stunner, but it bounced right back at him. Harry was forced to dive, pulling Ginny down with him. Stunners were sent relentlessly back at Harry. He tried an impediment jinx, but it was also sent back at him. He used a shield charm to protect himself, and it worked, but the impediment jinx bounced back again, like a game of tennis, and hit Harry, who wasn't expecting it. Harry slowed down tremendously. Ginny began firing at their target now, first with a bat-bogey hex, which reflected back at her, and Ginny, ironically, got a taste of her own medicine: literally. While fighting the bats, she fired off a Full-body bind, which only bounced back as well.

Harry was starting to wonder why everything they were throwing at it was being reflected. And they were only attacked by whatever they had fired at their enemy. Then, Harry had an idea. It was a mirror. It just absorbed their spells, and fired them back at them. So how do you destroy a mirror? A vision of a broken mirror, thrown against his trunk at the end of fifth year swam lazily into Harry's mind.

So, Harry tried the reductor curse. It took him twice to cast it properly. He instantly moved closer to Ginny and cast a shield charm as well. The mirror shattered and they were hit with glass. Shield charms apparently only worked on magic, not physical items. Harry was hit with most of the glass; he had prevented any of it from touching Ginny. He helped her up, and they headed towards the next part of the maze. Harry cast the four-point spell to make sure they were headed in the right direction, northwest, and they were, so they kept going. They ran into a sphinx next. Harry mentally groaned.

"The quickest way is right through me,

so I'll tell you a riddle and then we'll see.

Will you pass or will you stay,

if you get it right, I'll let you on your way.

If you are wrong then I'll attack,

but answer me not, and you may walk right back."

Harry waved his hand, motioning for the sphinx to say the riddle.

"Those who cannot

sing above ground

have something else,

that in their hand can be found.

And what do you call,

An item whose name,

You wish not to say

But you speak of just the same."

Harry thought about that part of the riddle, the first part. Those who cannot sing above ground. That definitely sounded like merpeople, the ones he had met in the lake. But what did they hold in their hand? And then it hit him. A spear! Harry knew the first part. He tried to run it by the sphinx, but he couldn't speak. He would come back to that. An item whose name you wish not to say but speak of just the same? What was that about. If you were going to talk about something you would say it's name wouldn't you? Harry felt like an idiot. It! That's what it was saying. If you are talking about something, but you don't say it's name, you would call it, well, it. Spear-it. Spirit! Hah. Harry laughed triumphantly. Of course, it was mental. How would he tell the sphinx the answer? Harry had a flashback to the chamber of secrets. He waved his wands, concentrating on the word spirit. It appeared into the air, glowing a fiery-red. The sphinx looked at it, and nodded. She stepped aside, allowing Harry and Ginny to pass.

"Spirit is right, you are correct.

But before you go forward,

There's one thing to check.

At the end of this path,

Another sphinx stands,

With one final Riddle,

Before you can end.

So defeated now once

Is the Riddle.

But do it once more,

Before it's all over.

There is no turning back,

Once past me you go.

So think wisely,

That's all that I know."

Harry looked at Ginny, and she nodded, her brown eyes full of determination. He grabbed her hand and they walked through the path, small and winding to the other end. They neared the end of it without problems, and met up with the other sphinx.

"Defeated me once,

I see you have,

but can you now twice,

pass a sphinx in disguise?

Answer this Riddle,

And the end is near,

It will be up to you,

To make it into the clear."

Harry motioned for the sphinx to speak.

"What is my name?

I will give you two clues,

I am always here,

In the air around you.

But say my name,

Into the air,

And gone I shall be,

As if I was never there."

Harry stood in silence, wondering just what the answer could be. What was in the air? Oxygen? That couldn't be right. If you say its name, it would be gone? What disappears when it's name is spoken? An elf appears when its name is spoken. But not the other way around. Harry was definitely clueless on this one. He looked at Ginny pleadingly for help. 'Here's where she proves whether she deserves to be here or not,' thought Harry. Ginny waved her wand suddenly, as Harry had, and it formed a word.

"_Silence."_

Harry stared at the words glimmering in the darkness. Silence? It was there in the air around you. Yeah, that could work. And if you spoke its name, it was gone. Well, there would be silence until you spoke, so if you did speak, silence would be gone. Yeah, that would work. He nodded at Ginny. She directed the words toward the sphinx, which smiled and let them through. Harry grabbed Ginny's hand, and they walked out of the path. They were still dead-on target, and according to the sphinxes, they should be near the end. There was only one last task. Harry looked forward, and saw an arch. He stared at it, but there was no way around it. He would have to go through the arch. Harry turned to Ginny and motioned towards the arch. She stared, confused. Harry led her near it, then walked up to it slowly. He looked at it, wondering what exactly it was. He climbed up, and stepped through it, but felt Ginny grab onto his foot before he could go all the way through. He looked around at where he was. It was darkness. He couldn't see a thing. He fell forward into nothingness, Ginny still desperately holding on to Harry' foot. He fell down, and when he expected to hit the ground he didn't. He looked up, surprised, and then his face did slam into the ground. Ouch.

Harry looked up. The arch had disappeared. Ginny was still holding onto his foot, but they saw the end of the maze. He stood up hesitantly, and grabbed Ginny's hand. They walked cautiously towards the opening, and when they walked out, they stepped into a golden aura. Everything went upside down. Harry smiled grimly. He knew this trick already. He grabbed Ginny's hand and took a defiant step forward, dragging her with him. He made it back onto solid ground and they stepped out of the maze.

They were met with cheers from the aurors, and after a couple of finite incantatum's that they cast on each other non-verbally, Harry and Ginny were able to speak properly.

"Well, that was definitely interesting."

"That was pretty good non-verbal spellwork back there Potter. Non-verbal spells are a lot like learning how to ride a broom. Once you do it properly the first time, it comes easily. You just need the right pressure. Your non-verbal spell work should have increased now. I believe Remus Lupin has taught you rudimentary Occlumency as well?"

"Yes, sir," responded Harry.

"I suppose a little bit of Legilimency was with that as well?"

"That's right." Harry realized he had actually cast Legilimency on Ginny, when he told her to cover his back. He had pushed the thought into her head, and she had understood. He had just made eye contact, and without a wand, had told her what he wanted her to know. That was impressive. He was sure Dumbledore could do that, and probably Voldemort, but he didn't know anyone else who could.

"I'd say that was a good workout overall. Weasley, that was one Bat-bogey hex back there. I'm sure you felt that?"

Ginny just groaned. Everyone laughed.

"Well, that was a good way to lighten the mood a bit. Good job you two. And excellent work with the sphinxes. Normally, the recruits get one right and are trapped, or just decide to skip it altogether. We were all deeply impressed."

"Thanks," murmured a red-faced Harry and a blushing Ginny.

"You all look great together," said Tonks cheekily.

Harry and Ginny responded by blushing once more.

"Well, that was enough for now. We will let you all get some sleep. Take them to the quarters," ordered Moody. Tonks escorted them to a room, and Harry and Ginny both collapsed onto the bed and slept.

There's your chapter everybody. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review. I also wanted to say that the idea for Avalon came from Robin4, and I recommend reading his stories, most notably the Promises trilogy, Promises Remembered, Promises Unbroken, and Promises Defended. All three can be found on my favorite stories page. Thanks again for reading, and please review.


	14. Another One Bites the Dust

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 14: Another One Bites the Dust 

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry sends Ginny back to Ron and Hermione, heads to the ministry with Tonks, has it out with the minister, and manages the potion for the wand.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Well, here I am again. I hope you enjoyed the obstacle course as much as I did. I had fun with the sphinxes. It's a lot of fun writing riddles. And you know what? I think I actually managed a plot device or two in there. Shocking. Bonus points a mi? Possibly. Here's to wondering if you all caught my hints. They will be revealed eventually, I think there was maybe four? I don't remember for sure. Three or four. Anyways. This chapter should be interesting. We'll see just who gets manipulated. Oh, and Harry's almost half way now I think? Maybe. Well, here you go, Chapter 14: Another One Bites the Dust._

"Harry. Harry! HARRY!" Harry's head lazily snapped up, and his eyes began to allow the light to enter. He looked straight into the eyes of-

"Tonks? What's the rush?" Harry slowly woke up, and got out of bed. It was hard, because he had to pull himself out of Ginny's embrace. Apparently, they had fallen asleep together. Harry couldn't remember anything except hitting the bed, and falling asleep. Blushing, he sat up, and then stood, watching Tonks apprehensively.

"Well?"

"I have to go to Scrimgeour, and I was wondering, well, hoping, that you would come with me." She looked at him pleadingly.

"Why's that?" Harry asked suspiciously; he didn't want anything to do with Scrimgeour.

"No reason, just I think it would be a good idea if you came along." Her eyes begged him to say yes.

"Alright," Harry conceded with an over dramatic sigh. "What about Ginny?"

"She can go back to the Burrow. I'm sure Ron and Hermione can find something for her to do while you're gone."

Harry nodded slowly. "Alright. But I'm not promising anything about how I act towards Scrimgeour."

Tonks tried to hide her smile, failed, and instead turned away.

"Right then, off to the ministry. Here, I can apparate you to the apparition point. Hold on for a sec." Harry grabbed her arm.

"No, I mean, I need to get something first, hang on," she said, laughing.

"Oh." Harry smiled sheepishly. Tonks went back outside to talk to Moody, and then came back. Harry spent the time gazing adoringly at Ginny. She seemed so peaceful in her sleep. Harry only wished she could be like that in real life. Whatever it takes, Harry thought, to keep her happy. Harry's thoughts were interrupted abruptly by Tonks's reappearance.

"Ready Mr. Potter?"

Harry grinned, as did Tonks. Scrimgeour was in for it this time.

"Three, two, one." Harry, grabbing onto Tonks's arm, apparated with a pop.

Harry felt the feeling he often experienced during any kind of wizard travel that wasn't on a broom: nausea. He steadied himself as they landed on the Apparition level of the Ministry.

"Well, let's go then Harry. I'm supposed to report to Scrimgeour. Of course, it will be more of me yelling at his stupidity and him talking to you, but whatever." Tonks sighed mock-dramatically, causing Harry to grin. She changed her hair to a bright pink and walked purposefully towards the secretary. Harry was impressed by her intimidating gait; at least, before she tripped over her shoelace and fell. Harry laughed and helped her up, then approached the secretary. Tonks, still trying to regain her dignity, stood up in a huff, but Harry had already started talking.

"Harry Potter and Nymphadora-" Tonks glared, "Tonks, here to see Rufus Scrimgeour," Harry said with a smile, oblivious to Tonks's rage at being referred to as 'Nymphadora.'

"Of course, the minister is expecting you Miss Tonks. Go right ahead." They marched up to the minister's office, Tonks steadily building up her indignant rant. She was muttering darkly under her breath, and Harry almost felt sorry for the minister.

"Ahhh, Auror Tonks," Scrimgeour said as way of greeting once Tonks had entered his office. Tonks nodded stiffly.

"And Mr. Potter, what a pleasant surprise. Let me just speak with Miss Tonks for a moment and you and I can catch up."

Harry glared back at Scrimgeour's carefree attitude and sat back in the chair provided for him, staring expectantly at Tonks. He wasn't disappointed, as she launched into a speech about how stupid it was to attack Hogwarts, something about how 'a troll without a club would have lasted longer than we did,' and 'I've seen a giant's arse lead an army more effectively.' Needless to say, Scrimgeour was not in a good mood. As a matter of fact, he was in a bad mood, a very bad mood. Harry sensed the subtle signs of accidental magic.

"So how many did we lose Miss Tonks, out of the 15 aurors I sent?" Scrimgeour asked, a cold tone in his voice.

"Five, including Shacklebolt," Tonks stated.

"Shacklebolt?"

"Yes," growled Tonks menacingly, daring him to push the point. Scrimgeour did not rise to the challenge.

"Very well, how many were you up against?"

"Aside from the fact that they _knew_ we were coming and had an ambush already in place? Well, take away those odds, the fact that they counter attacked, and well, I think that leaves about twenty-three death eaters, more or less. And of course, Azkaban has been broken into and captured as well, so their numbers have only been going up, whereas ours are dwindling, and will, at this rate of incompetence, disappear. Please, do the wizarding world a favor and don't do a half-arse job. You would do better returning to the aurors. At least there, you were worth a damn."

Scrimgeour froze after hearing Tonks's assault. Harry would have to; there wasn't much to say on the minister's behalf.

"Thank you for your report auror Tonks. Good luck in the future. If you will allow me to speak with Mr. Potter for a moment, I would appreciate it," said Scrimgeour, effectively dismissing Tonks and ignoring her accusations. Harry stared at the man. If there was one thing Scrimgeour had going for him, it was that he had guts.

Tonks left, promising Harry she would wait for him, and Harry was left to face the minister alone again, one on one.

"Have you thought about our earlier discussion Harry?"

Harry thought back on the last time he had been here. He had considered agreeing after Stan had been released. But it was another story now. Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to support Scrimgeour. He had just gotten Kingsley killed. He had lost Hogwarts; he had lost Azkaban. What next? But, Harry was beginning to think he didn't have much of a choice. The aurors were hopelessly outnumbered, as Tonks had said, and the dark side was growing stronger by the minute. Scrimgeour was beginning to make some bad calls, and it was showing. The dementors were still breeding. Everything, pretty much, was going to Hell. And it looked like the only way to Heaven was through the center of it.

"Well, minister I have a question for you."

"Be my guest Harry."

"How do you think the ministry is handling Lord Voldemort right now?" Harry was pleased to notice a small shudder at the mention of Voldemort's name.

"Well, I- there- well, you see. There is always room for improvement," pronounced Scrimgeour, pleased at worming his way out of that situation.

"Really? How so?"

"We, well, we should take back Hogwarts-"

"Haven't you tried that already?" asked Harry innocently.

"Yes."

"And?" pressed Harry.

"It didn't go according to plan. Someone leaked the information," muttered Scrimgeour.

"I would recommend, at the very least, cleaning out your ministry. Check everyone's forearms for the dark mark, for starters. You will need everyone on your side to actually be on your side." Harry watched for the man's reaction. He seemed almost offended.

"No one here is working for you-know-who-"

"Someone obviously is minister; how else do you explain the Hogwarts ambush? How else do you explain Kinsley's death?"

Silence.

"I would recommend checking your own fortress before going after someone else's. Let me know when there aren't any death eaters here." Harry stood up abruptly, and turned to leave.

"There is something you should know. Harry."

Harry turned around, letting his gaze fall on Scrimgeour, expectantly.

"There is something in the Department of Mysteries. Something that you need to see."

Harry perked up at the mention of the Department of Mysteries.

"Hmmm," was all Harry said.

"Maybe next time when my ministry is cleared-"

"Ahhh," stated Harry. He turned around and walked out, Scrimgeour shouting behind him.

"I will owl you!"

Harry gave a wave of his hand without turning back. The door closed behind him. Harry saw Tonks waiting for him.

"Well?" Tonks watched Harry's expression.

"I convinced him that the ministry is corrupt-" Tonks snorted, "and I found out that he has something I need to see that is in the Department of Mysteries," stated Harry.

"Well, that should be interesting. You ready to go home Harry?"

Harry nodded fervently, to Tonks's amusement. They went to the apparition point and apparated back to Grimmauld Place.

Harry was able to step through the door, and made it three steps, before he was attacked.

Ginny slammed into him and pulled him into a hug that would of brought one of Mrs. Weasley's to shame. Her red hair was all in his face and her head rested on his chest. He stroked her back soothingly.

"I'm here Gin. It's ok."

She only nodded in response. Harry picked her up and carried her up to the library, Ginny squealing along the way. Harry laughed and gave her a peck on the cheek as he headed to his two best friends.

Harry announced is arrival very loudly, making sure he didn't walk in on something he didn't want to have imprinted in his mind. When he thought it was finally safe, he opened the door and walked into the library. Ron and Hermione sat side-by-side, reading a book. Hermione's hair was as wild as, well as wild as something. Harry couldn't find an appropriate comparison. Her hair just flew everywhere. She was a little red in the cheeks, as if she was out of breath, and Ron just had a goofy grin pasted on his face.

"Hi Harry," they chorused.

"Hey. Did you find out about the potion?"

"Sort of," replied Hermione.

"Where were you mate?" asked Ron.

"Long story," said Harry. And so, he and Ginny began to tell their tale, starting with meeting up with Snape in the Room of Requirements, and Harry ended it about his trip to the ministry.

"Speaking of the ministry," Harry began, "You all know how magic is detected right?"

"Yeah," they replied slowly.

"It can identify the spell and everything, like it did in my second year and my fifth year. Couldn't they- correct me if I'm wrong Hermione- use their system to track the unforgivables?"

Hermione looked thoughtful for a while. Then she opened her mouth.

"I think they could Harry. I don't see why not."

"I'll ask my Dad," said Ron, and he walked out to do just that.

"Anyway, here's the- Snape's book," said Harry, and he tossed it on the table. He also placed on the table The Darkest of the Dark, the book he had found about horcruxes, after unshrinking it. Then, he placed the potions there after them.

Hermione looked through the copy of Advanced Potion Making and found what she needed. She began rattling off ingredients, but Harry didn't know what she was talking about. He let Ron handle it. Instead, Harry sat on the chair and began to read from The Darkest of the Dark, picking up where he left off.

It explained how to make a horcrux, but nothing about destroying it. It said that you would first designate whom you wanted to kill and point your wand at them while saying S_pecialis Avada._ Then, you would cast _Avada Kedavra_ on the person you had marked.

After that, you chose what object you wanted the piece of your soul to go into. You would point your wand at it and say S_pecialis Kedavra._ Both objects would then be marked, somehow. It was unique to each caster. After that, you would state S_pecialis Animus. _Then the horcrux would be created. But there was nothing, nothing at all, about how to destroy one. The only other thing there was how to use a horcrux to survive, but Harry wasn't interested in that.

Harry looked to see how Hermione was doing. She was going at it already with the potion, stirring and sifting through Snape's notes. She added ingredients here and there, and muttered under her breath. Slowly but surely, the cauldron began to simmer, and a vapor began to emanate from it, similar to the one Harry had seen at the Riddle house. Whatever Hermione was doing, it was working.

Harry began to try and analyze the potions that he had taken with them. One looked frighteningly close to the potion that had been in the cave. Another, reddish green in color, seemed to cackle threateningly at Harry whenever he glanced its way. A light blue one was also in there, but Harry was equally clueless as to what it could be.

"Hah!" shouted Hermione triumphantly.

"It just needs to sit there for about 15 minutes, then it will be finished," announced Hermione.

"That's great," said Harry. "Hey Hermione? Can you tell me what these potions are?"

Harry gestured at the reddish green one, the one he believed to be from the cave, the light blue one, and the other one that resided in the box.

"Well, that one," Hermione said, pointing at the one from the cave, "looks like a magic draining potion. It drains you of your magic and you will slowly succumb to darkness.

The older you are, the more lethal. It can take years to regain your magic and replenish your reserves. The second one, that blue one, is a potion that replaces memories. It will take out a memory and put a new one in its place. The reddish green one, that one, well; it is used when you want to capture a piece of a soul. I think it's probably what Voldemort would use if he needed to get a piece of his soul from the horcrux. He would immerse the horcrux in the potion, and then his soul would come out. Then he would, in theory, be able to merge with it. That last one, ummm, I think it's a potion that attacks the mind. Like, the anti-Occlumency I guess."

"Well, that's interesting. How's the potion coming?"

"It should be finished by now," she said. Ron had already been in and out of the room a few times, and Harry was finally able to talk to him.

"What'd your Dad say?" Harry asked. Ron looked up form what he was doing.

"He thinks it could work. It sounds like a good idea anyway. He's going to ask." That was all Harry could ask for, so he nodded in thanks. He left to retrieve the wand, and he came back to he library.

"Well guys, this is it. Cross your fingers." Harry twirled the wand one last time in his hand, admiring Rowena Ravenclaw's wand, her tool that had allowed her to perform magic. Harry looked at jagged mark at the bottom of the wand, the mark that symbolized the wand was a horcrux, and that Voldemort's soul darkened the goodness the wand was capable of. Almost regretfully, Harry dropped the wand into the cauldron. The wand had hummed one last time in his hand. Harry really didn't feel like parting with it. He didn't know why. The wand simmered in the cauldron after it fell in with a small splash. The wand looked like it was breaking up before their eyes. Harry watched as the wand began to split along the jagged line. The phoenix feather was slowly revealed.

"It's working," Ginny said in awe. Harry agreed.

The wand continued to split along the line, until finally, only the wood was on one side of the cauldron, and the essence, the phoenix feather, was on the other. Harry wondered what happened to Voldemort's soul. Then he received his answer. The cauldron exploded with a bang. Everyone quickly cast shield spells. The potion flew straight up into the air, like a fountain. The phoenix feather fluttered to the ground. The remainder of the wand settled on the dusty floor. Harry gave a sigh of relief. It was done, he thought. He had never been more wrong in the rest of his life. Harry's scar gave a sudden twitch, and he collapsed onto the floor, landing in the puddle of the potion.

There's your chapter guys, for some reason it was extremely difficult to write. I don't know why, but I just couldn't get it flowing the way I wanted it to. It ended up pretty short, sorry bout that. Please review and tell me what you think.To hopefully get your forgiveness, I will give you a preview of the next chapter.

Chapter 15: Two Steps Forward One Step Black.

Synopsis: Harry runs into someone he thought to be dead, the ministry is attacked, Harry heads there to help. What he meets is something he never expected. A few days later, Harry ends up back at Grimmauld Place after a successful raid is made to rescue him.


	15. Two Steps Forward, One Step Black

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 15: Two Steps Forward One Step Black.

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry runs into someone he thought to be dead, the ministry is attacked, Harry heads there to help. What he meets is something he never expected. A few days later, Harry ends up back at Grimmauld Place after a successful raid is made to rescue him.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Ok, so Chapter 14 wasn't exactly the best chapter in the world. Sorry about that. I had a little bit of anti-Scrimgeour, but that was really it I guess. Once again, I apologize. I have just been out of time. We just finished up our non-district season at 13-0-4, 13 wins, 4 ties, 0 losses. We started district on Valentine's Day, so my schedule has been a little hectic. Chapter 14 was just killing me at every turn, refusing to help me out. Sorry again for the delay. I will get to the story, but I thought I would let you know, this chapter has been in my mind for a while, since chapter 6 at least. So just so you know, this chapter has had a lot of time to develop. So I humbly submit to you, the readers (and hopefully reviewers as well) Chapter 15, Two Steps Forward, One Step Black._

"_It's got to get worse before it gets better."_

"_That's like saying I'm going to die, and then kill him."_

"…"

* * *

Harry hit the ground, dead to the world, after the cauldron holding Ravenclaw's wand, Voldemort's horcrux, exploded.

'_Well, this is weird,' Harry thought. He looked around. He was in a desolate place. There was nothing, no trees, no rivers, no grass, nothing. It was as empty and lifeless as Dumbledore's eyes had been. Harry looked around. He saw no sun, yet he saw shadows. No moon, yet he saw light. He saw the darkness, he felt the evil. But he saw the light, and felt the good. As soon as he thought that, two shadows appeared. He saw a battle going on, two shadows, locked with solid beam of light, and interlocked in an eternal battle. But, like one candle in the darkness can light up the room, the light was slowly winning. Harry silently urged it on, but then, something unexpected happen. The light began to flicker. Wind began to enter the battle, and the wind made the light start to flicker. It also scattered the shadows, but they returned to join the fray. Harry stared on in horror as the dark slowly began to gain an upper hand. But then, it would go back the other way. It was like a pendulum, ever swinging, and everything staying in balance. At one point, they would both be weak, and be equal, then, one side would gain the upper hand. But at the highest point, they were also equal. Like a pendulum in equilibrium, at rest, they were evenly matched, in the middle, half way up, was the greatest point for either side, but then they hit the top of the circle. They were at full strength. The two shadows converged on the light, and the shadows melted into the light, disappearing. Then the light too, vanished, leaving nothing but the wind. Harry's last look was of two pairs of red eyes, and a pair of green ones, staring at hi, all three sets holding a look of longing._

Harry was jolted out of unconsciousness, not remembering anything that happened. He looked around the room at all the anxious faces.

"Harry?" Hermione asked tentatively.

Harry shook his head slightly, trying to clear his vision. Ron slid his glasses back onto his head. That cleared it.

"Yeah?" Harry asked, wincing as he spoke, because his head hurt from whatever he hit.

"Are you alright?" asked Ginny.

"I don't know," Harry replied softly.

"That's better than the usual 'I'm fine,' at least." Harry looked up into Ginny's sad chocolate brown eyes. The warmth was only just starting to return to them. She didn't look very well.

"We thought you-" but Ginny stopped at that. Understanding came into Harry's mind.

"I made you a promise remember? I would always be here for you. I don't plan on breaking that promise anytime soon." Ginny launched herself on top of him. Harry fell back onto the floor. She kissed him soundly, claiming him practically. Harry didn't mind. He finally sat up and looked around.

"So what happened?" he asked.

"Well, the wand split, then everything well, blew up. You got hit by the blast, and were knocked out. You landed right in the potion too. We didn't know what happened." Harry watched Ron as he talked, and took in the information.

"It worked then?" Harry asked, once again rubbing his head. It still hurt. A lot. Harry truly understood the term 'splitting headache.' His forehead felt like it wanted to just tear apart. Like something was inside trying to get out. Harry winced again as Hermione began talking. Her words started to hurt his ears now too.

"I think- I'm going to, go, sleep now, becau-" Harry fell to the floor, or he would have if Ginny hadn't caught him. He was out once he landed in her arms.

Harry finally woke up again, and he felt better. His splitting headache was subdued, he could think and see clearly, and everything was as close to normal as he could want it to. Harry looked around, wondering what had woken him up. He finally found the source, an owl tapping his window. He walked over and let it in.

_Harry,_

_Please come back to the ministry. It's urgent. Hurry. Just grab the owl and say _ut obscurum volvit elucido _and it will transport you here. _

_R.A.B._

Harry stared at the note in shock. R.A.B.? Regulus? What was going on? Harry grabbed the owl. He needed information, and Regulus was going to give it to him.

"_Ut Obscurum Volvit Elucido!" _Harry yelled, grabbing the owl. It whisked him away like a portkey. Harry thought grimly, as he flew through barriers and light, energy and time, and space that the password was in Latin. His Latin was rusty, but he was pretty sure it meant: when darkness turns to light. How Harry hoped that would come true. It was pretty bad right now. Hagrid was gone. Harry felt like there was something Hagrid still had to do, some part he still needed to play. But that wouldn't happen. Bellatrix had made sure of that. The only main players left were Ron, Hermione, Remus, Tonks, Neville, Luna, and Ginny of course. _Seven._ The dark still had Bellatrix, Malfoy, and a whole lot of others. Draco, Snape, and Pettigrew still had a part to play, whatever side they chose.

Harry wondered where he stood on this imaginary chessboard. Dumbledore, whom Harry had believed to be king, was gone. The game kept going. Harry wasn't great at Wizard's Chess, but he knew when the king lost it was over. So that meant Dumbledore wasn't king. Was he possibly the player? And now it was up to the pieces. Voldemort was king of his side, Bellatrix, his queen. Sirius was gone, and Hagrid. Cedric. Kingsley. And who else would go down? Who else would have to die?

Harry finally hit the ground, and stood up, looking at his surroundings. He walked through the door of the ministry apparition point and was shocked at what he saw. Death Eaters. In the ministry. Now. No wonder R.A.B. said it was urgent. But where was Regulus? On whose side did he fight? Harry watched as a few aurors there put up a courageous fight. But they were swiftly subdued. Harry watched in a kind of morbid fascination as Scrimgeour went down. Harry saw Mr. Weasley there as well, fighting bravely against two death eaters. Harry leapt into the fray to help. Harry took down one of them and fired a stunner at the other. Harry watched as the light sped towards the unsuspecting death eater.

"_Avada Kedavra_- ahhhh!" The death eater went down. Harry watched as time slowed to a stop. The jet of green light crept slowly towards Mr. Weasley. It took forever to reach him. Harry just stared at the light as it inched ever so closely to Mr. Weasley. Harry was powerless to stop it. He could only stare. As it crept closer to Mr. Weasley's chest, Harry saw his eyes widen. He too, was frozen in place. Harry watched as something stirred in Mr. Weasley's eyes. What it was, he had no idea. Suddenly, the light stopped, inches from Mr. Weasley. Harry wondered why. Then, he saw. Suddenly, everything went back to normal. Harry watched as a body hit the floor. Harry saw Mr. Weasley look down with tears in his eyes and turn the body over. _Percy._

Harry kicked the death eater who had killed Percy. It was Malfoy Sr. Harry stared at him in disgust. Mr. Weasley refused to acknowledge anything or anyone. The battle continued for the ministry. They fought valiantly, but fate was against them. Slowly but surely, the death eaters advanced. The remaining members fought for their lives, but it was useless. Mr. Weasley was able to apparate away to safety. Harry watched to ensure his safety and then saw- something. He looked closely at it, and saw a pair of grey eyes.

"Sir-?" But that was all Harry got out, before a stunner hit him.

* * *

When Harry finally came to, he kept his eyes closed. It was getting annoying, he thought. He was always getting knocked out today. He tentatively raised his eyes and looked around. His vision was foggy, his whole body hurt. He vaguely remembered being hit by the Cruciatus curse, a lot. There were blank parts in his memory. That was for certain. His wand was missing. Harry remembered dropping it, but not when. Harry looked around the room and tried to stand. That wasn't a very good idea. He fell back down. Hard. He tried to speak, but his voice was raspy from his screams. He settled for looking around. Funnily enough, there was a window in his room. And equally ironic, in a deranged kind of way, Harry was able to find humor in his situation. The window let it a little bit of light, but not much. Harry wasn't sure if let in light, or let out darkness. The one bit of light was trying to get in, while Harry was trying to get out. Ironic. At least, in Harry's eyes.

Harry saw a flash of grey. At least, that's what he thought. Funny color, grey. It was a mix between black and white. And black and white symbolized so many things. Good and evil, light and dark. Different chess pieces. Harry liked chess. But he wasn't good at it. He vaguely wondered why his thinking was becoming incoherent. He heard a noise and looked up. The door to his prison swung open, allowing a death eater Harry didn't like very much.

"How are you today Potter? Horrible I hope?"

"Hello Draco," Harry replied woozily. He remembered not liking this guy very much. He wasn't very nice.

"It's my turn to torture you. Isn't that fun?" Malfoy said, grinning maniacally. Something stirred in Harry.

"I don't recall you being able to put your money where your mouth was Malfoy."

"What are you talking about Potter?" Harry noticed Malfoy's expression drop ever so slightly.

"I seem to remember your wand dropping when you were supposed to kill Dumbledore."

Harry watched Malfoy's barely suppressed rage.

"Think it's funny do you? You'll see. _Crucio_." Harry felt the familiar feeling of the Cruciatus curse. Malfoy's wasn't as bad as the others, Harry thought vaguely. He wasn't proficient with the unforgivables yet. It still hurt though. Harry willed the pain to go away. And it did. Malfoy stopped. Harry looked up at him questioningly, and watched as he was thrown to the side.

"Ah. Harry Potter. The Chosen One, they're calling you know I believe?"

"Tom," Harry nodded.

Voldemort ignored Harry'sreturning jab. "It has been a pleasure Potter. You do realize, you are the one thing in my way now? The only beacon of light. Hogwarts is gone, Dumbledore is gone, the ministry is gone, Azkaban is gone."

"Avalon," stated Harry, defiantly, yet hesitantly.

"Ahh. Avalon. You are right. But it is of no consequence. Hardly anyone has heard of it anyway. You know. I am going to have fun with you. Because here Potter, no one can hear you scream. _Crucio_!"

Now this one hurt, thought Harry. He writhed on the floor, not bothering to scream, as that was too much. He didn't know why, but it just seemed too much. After a minute or so, the pain stopped.

"You could have joined me willingly you know. We would have been great. Together, we are the strongest wizards on the planet. No one could stop us."

"Everything that has a beginning has an end, Tom. Even you."

Harry was under unbearable pain once more. Yet, it pleased him. If he was in pain, it was because he had caused it. A lesson he had learned over the past two days. Memories slowly came back to him, yet he quickly pushed them away. He did not want to remember this if he got out alive. None of it. He could not bear it. The pain dulled, then stopped.

"You would do well to hold your tongue."

Harry grabbed his tongue in his hand mockingly. Voldemort ignored it.

"I am immortal Potter. You cannot kill me. I have defeated death."

"No one can defeat death Tom. It's as inevitable as a battle between good and evil. It's like a pendulum. It swings one way, then the other. Always and forever. You are only postponing the inevitable. You have defeated death by dying. That's all you have done. You call what you are going through right now life? You have hardly any soul. Even dementors look at you as worthless. They follow you because you are like them. Soulless. And hungry. And dark."

"Dementors respect me. They fear me."

"Fear has no fear."

Harry's responses flowed from his mouth, almost as a river falling down a waterfall. He didn't know where the words came from, yet they were oddly fitting. They weren't his words, and yet, they were. Like how mist isn't really water, or air, but something in between.

"You continue to intrigue me. I might let you live longer than I had originally thought."

"I'm honored," replied Harry sarcastically.

"We have all the time in the world. Eternity's only an hour away."

Harry felt a prodding in his mind.

"So you thought to try and destroy my horcruxes? That was foolish of you. You have no chance of destroying me, let alone the horcruxes themselves. You were merely luck with the diary, because of Lucius's foolishness. You destroyed my seven-part soul. And I had thought that I had just so recently achieved it, when I made Nagini a horcrux towards the end of last year. Alas, I was mistaken." Harryburied the thought of the wand as quickly as he could.

"Your arrogance knows no bounds Potter. I will return later for another little chat."

Voldemort left, and Harry collapsed onto the floor. Malfoy had scampered off sometime, Harry knew not when. He looked around the room, and went to try and get some rest.

Harry didn't know when or where he was, or what had happened. Or even if his mind was in the present. Harry was dragged out again. He let himself go on auto-pilot, ignoring what was happening. He just felt dead and lifeless. He soon forgot what happened, pushing it deep into his soul, to dwell on later. He had been thrown into the room again, thought dead, already dying. But the door swung open again. Those insanely familiar grey eyes stared into his green ones, once full of energy, now dull and weak, nearly lifeless and empty.

"We need to get you out of here. Now." The man with the grey eyes came to Harry and began unbinding him, slowly bringing Harry to his feet.

"Sir-?"

"Not now. Shh. We have to get out of here and regroup." The man led Harry out of the room and through the door. Harry's mind vaguely registered that they were in Riddle manor. Harry was led through the house and they finally exited it.

* * *

The man side-apparated Harry and they landed in an abandoned house.

"Drink this." Harry did as he was asked, and he felt much better. His throat relaxed, he smiled, and he promptly fell asleep.

"Wake up!" he heard someone yell distantly. Harry lifted himself up.

"You're in pretty bad shape."

"Sirius?"

"Close. Regulus. His brother."

"R.A.B.?"

"Right in one."

"But- you're dead."

"Hmmm. I don't feel dead." He poked himself for added effect. "I don't smell dead." He sniffed his armpits. "I'm not acting dead am I?" He stared at Harry quizzically.

"I thought you had been killed though."

"A misconception shared by a lot of people I'm sure."

"I-" suddenly a dam burst in Harry. He had a million questions to ask Regulus. About Sirius, about horcruxes, about a lot of things. They all jostled his mind for front position.

"Why did you tell me to go to the ministry?"

"I needed to talk to you. But they attacked. So that didn't work very well. Sorry for the torture you were put through." Regulus sounded guilty.

"That's not your fault." Harry knew it was, but it didn't help to have him feeling guilty.

"And horcruxes? You're R.A.B. How did you get the one from the cave?" Harry fired another question at him.

"That was simple," Regulus replied, almost nonchalantly, while waving his hand dismissively.

"Simple-?" Harry asked, again surprised.

"I had a house-elf drink the potion, and then I took the locket, replacing it with the fake and refilling the potion."

"Kreacher…" Harry began, comprehension dawning on him.

"Right. He may be a little mad now I'm sure. That potion was some nasty stuff." Harry was thinking the same thing.

"And you destroyed it after?" he continued.

"Well, not after, but later. I had to leave it at home. Then, I had Aberforth, an old friend, retrieve it for me, so I could finish what I started. So yes, it is destroyed," finished Regulus.

"What about the cup? I've taken care of the wand, the diary, and Dumbledore did the ring. That leaves the snake, the cup, and Voldemort, since you did the locket."

"There's more than two?"

"You didn't know?"

"I only knew of the cup and the locket," conceded Regulus slowly.

"Well, how will we get the cup?" asked Harry seriously.

"It's in Riddle manor. We will have to go back there," stated Regulus.

"I don't really want to go there anytime soon," said Harry. The memories were fighting to take him over. Harry refused.

"Do you want your life back?" Regulus asked, equally serious.

Harry, surprised at the question, fell silent.

"That's what I thought. You're going to have a few tough lessons to learn Harry."

"Like what?" Harry asked.

"It's got to get worse before it gets better."

"That's like saying I'm going to die, and then kill him."

"…"

"No response to that?" Harry asked.

"It's possible that that may happen. The prophecy says either must die at the hand of the other. You could theoretically die, and then kill him."

"How do you know about the prophecy?" Harry asked incredulously.

"That's for another time Harry," Regulus said, effectively cutting him off.

"Right, anyway. What now? I still don't know how to defeat Voldemort. You got any ideas?" Harry looked at Regulus; sarcasm laced in his words, yet a genuine curiosity evident in his tone.

"Well, how about the power the Dark Lord knows not?"

"Love?" Harry snorted.

"Yup." Harry could only stare.

"What is a love based spell?" Harry asked.

"Think about it." So Harry thought. But nothing came into his mind.

"Are you going to tell me?" Harry looked at Regulus, staring him in the eye, daring him to lie. Daring him to say no.

"No." Damn him then. Why was he like Sirius? He was a Slytherin. Slytherins and Gryffindors shouldn't be the same. Should they? Harry suddenly realized he was over generalizing too much. Just like everyone always did to him. Oops.

"So what do we do then?" Harry changed the subject and decided he would bring the matter up with Hermione.

"Well, it is a fairly common charm, just a bit difficult to cast…" mused Regulus. "I doubt the Dark Lord could cast it…"

Harry cleared his throat.

"Right. Well, I imagine we should head back to Grimmauld and make a plan."

"That's what I wanted to do in the first place," grumbled Harry. Still sulking, he threw himself on the chair.

"Where are we anyway?" Harry looked up expectantly.

"We are at my uncle's house. He died and left it to Sirius, but I figured it would be safe to come here."

"Oh."

Harry felt somewhat comfortable in the chair. It was relaxing, it eased the pain he felt from the torture sessions. Harry's head still rang occasionally. It was all he could do to not gasp out loud. But he couldn't show weakness in front of someone he didn't know very well.

"How do you feel by the way? I'm sure he tortured you quite a bit."

Harry suppressed the memories that were brought to the surface. He refused to remember them.

"You have no idea." Scenes of cruciatus curses, a _sectumsempra_ from Malfoy, a couple snakebites, a curse that split his arm into about a billion pieces, another that broke his leg and set it the wrong way; the list went on. Picturing the group of death eaters circling him as Voldemort stared at him mockingly. Harry was sucked into the vision, his memories, and was trapped inside his own head.

* * *

"_It's ironic, don't you think Harry?"_

_Harry did nothing but grunt in return._

"_Really, even a half-blood such as yourself should appreciate the irony of this." The death eaters around them laughed._

"_Especially- especially, since you under- understand it. You are a- a half-blood too, Tom, in- in case you forgot." It took Harry a great deal of effort to get that retort out. But hey, it was his parting blow. Harry didn't think he would make it through this. And sometimes, that was just fine to Harry. He almost wished for death. Voldemort chose to ignore Harry's comment though, and pressed on._

"_Just think: you, the _Champion _of the Light. And here you are, kneeling before me." Harry had tried valiantly to stand, but it was in vain. A spell was in place, similar to the one used on him when he was forced to bow in the graveyard. That seemed so long ago. Almost like a bad dream, only fleetingly remembered. So, Harry was basically at Voldemort's mercy. The only thing remaining was seen in his eyes. That fleeting spark. His eyes shone darkly, as dark as the room in front of him, as dark as the marks tainting the forearms of everyone in the room. Harry may have been a lot of things, but he wasn't a quitter. He would die proudly. Using his twisted logic, Harry was even able to obtain a look of triumph in his eyes. It wasn't a matter of whether or not he would win. Nor, even if he would survive. Harry knew he was doomed. The horcruxes remained, and here he was, powerless. The only thing that took hold of Harry was to go down with a fight. And to take as many death eaters down with him as he could._

"_Funny thing, fate. Don't you think Tom?" Harry's seventh wind had come. His adrenaline began to pump._

"_And why do you say that Harry?"_

"_Well, just think. It pitted you against me didn't it? It forced you to come after me. And you know what? You lost. And it's going to happen again. But, I am feeling generous. I will allow you to live forever. Only, it shall also be full of irony, just like your cursed half-life. A half-blood like yourself should appreciate it."_

_Infuriated, Voldemort tried to remain calm, only letting a couple sparks fly from his wand. Harry, armed only with words, was able to shake off Voldemort's controlling spell and stand up, straight back and erect, glaring at his enemy. _

"_And what, prey tell, do you think you could possibly do to your master?"_

"_That would ruin the surprise Tom. Just know that there will be a happy ending. And you can go knowing that you caused it." Harry was taking a strange pleasure in pissing off Voldemort. He released his anger._

_Voldemort glared at Harry, and probed his mind, wondering just what it was Harry planned. Some unknown power seemed to grasp Harry. When your body is prepared to die, when it knows it will soon take it's last breath, it fights. It fights as hard as it can. Powers from nowhere and everywhere seem to flow through the body. If you are dying of thirst, your tears before death come, and they are really, truly tears. Real. If you are about to die in a fight, your adrenaline goes on overload. It is your body's last stand; it's fight against the inevitable. Your body is always fighting an uphill battle. It knows it can't escape; it just wants to last as long as possible. Harry thought for something to fight for. A reason to not just give in. And it came to him. In the shape of a redhead with a beautiful smile. For Ginny. I willingly die for you. I give my life, in the hope that you can live yours. Her face burst into his mind, and Harry successfully threw off Voldemort's attack on his mind._

"_You've fallen asleep and you've just started your worst nightmare Tom." _

"_I would have enjoyed letting you loose on the world again. But, you have pushed me too far. My generosity only extends so far. Goodbye Harry. I hope you enjoy death. My understanding is it is swift and painless. But don't take my word for it. I have never died, after all. _Avada Kedavra._" Embracing his destiny, Harry's last thought went out to Ginny. A wish. 'Be safe my love.' Harry stared defiantly, mockingly, at the green beam of light speeding towards him. In one final act of defiance, Harry shouted._

"_We'll meet again Tom." It wasn't a threat. It wasn't a wish. It wasn't anything. It was merely a statement. Harry stated it with such conviction that Voldemort, Heir of Slytherin, trembled in his stance. The green light, bringing the swiftness of death, and the release from Harry's pain, sped towards him. Harry took it in the chest, laughing one last time. He hit the floor, the laugh never quite leaving his face. Harry's eyes remained open, yet they weren't exactly lifeless. They still held a mix of his flaring light, that spark. The one spark, a mix of light and darkness. Voldemort strode over and kicked him. _

"_Throw him back in the cell. Let the rats have him."_

_Harry felt himself thrown into the room. If this was death, he thought detachedly, it wasn't all that great. He still seemed linked to his body. He was in there still all right. He couldn't understand why the curse failed. Harry, slowly, attempted to move his arm. He raised his hand up and brushed his scar. His connection with Voldemort must have kept him alive, somehow. "And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives." _

"_Take that fate. I'm still in this one. Don't count me out yet. I'm just getting warmed up." And then, a look of triumph in his eyes, Harry succumbed to sleep. But the door opened again._

* * *

"Harry!"

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he saw Regulus, both in his mind's eye and in front of him.

"Yeah?" Harry looked pretty bad. He could see it in Regulus's eyes.

"That bad huh?" Regulus showed a little bit of concern. But was it for Harry? Or for Voldemort's match?

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Fair enough," Regulus shrugged. "How about we head to good ol' Grimmauld? I haven't been there in ages."

It was Harry's turn to shrug. Regulus picked him up and side-apparated him to Grimmauld Place.

Harry made it to the couch before he collapsed again. Voldemort really did a job on him. He looked like he had gone through a battlefield. Harry honestly didn't know how he was still alive. 'Looks like this body ain't ready to leave just yet.'

"Harry!" screamed three voices, two girl's voices and a guy's voice, all mixed together.

"We thought you were dead," said Hermione.

"Better dead than expelled right?" Harry said, forcing a weary grin onto his face. The effects of Regulus potion had worn off, and Harry could feel it.

"We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey!" shouted Ginny.

"Not the Hospital Wing," groaned Harry.

"At least you have your own bed mate," stated Ron sympathetically.

"That's a lot to look forward to," whined Harry again.

Hermione had already taken off to fetch the nurse, wherever she was. Harry guessed Hogsmeade, although he really wasn't sure. Harry started rubbing his arm. It hurt. Then, Harry realized Ginny and Ron had realized someone else was in the room.

Warily, they raised their wands at the intruder.

"Sirius?" they asked, guardedly. "We saw you fall through the veil. That can't be you. Who are you?"

"Smart friends you have Harry. Regulus Black, although I can't exactly say I'm pleased to meet you." At Harry's nod, they lowered their wands. Well, Ron did. Ginny's remained trained on the last living Black.

"You're a death eater."

"Two for two. Congratulations." Harry vaguely wondered why Regulus was being so sarcastic. He would stop when he had the bat-bogey hex on him though. Harry guessed he had about another minute or so of good quality air.

"Well?"

"I'm not denying it. But I am not really a death eater anymore."

"Some marks don't come off," stated Ron. Harry stopped rubbing his arm and rubbed subconsciously at his scar.

"I come in peace?"

"Try again."

"I brought Harry here, isn't that enough for now?" Ron and Ginny turned around to face Harry, and Harry watched as Regulus cast a spell at Harry's arm. Harry touched his arm gingerly.It felt normal. Harryfelt relief spread throughout his body after the spell. He glanced back at Regulus gratefully.

"Thanks."

"Useful little spell, that."

"I can imagine," said Harry.

At that moment, Hermione returned with Madam Pomfrey, and she began bustling around the house. She muttered to herself, and Harry more than flinched a couple of times.

"There, that should be it. In bed with you Mr. Potter. And you will do everything I say. No questions."

"Yes ma'am," said Harry. And he meant it. He felt himself slowly succumb to the darkness.

When Harry finally woke up, he was pumped with so many potions it was hard to tell if he was still asleep or not. He felt his leg re-breaking and mending, he felt his arm rearranging all the bones inside of it. He felt a lot of the scars healing. The pain-relief potion was in effect; the blood-replenishing potion was helping him gain the blood he lost. Harry had no idea what other potions were in him, but they kept him in pain. Nothing compared to torture. Harry was able to sleep through it all.

"How long was I gone?"

"Three days. And you've been out for five hours," came the reply from Ginny.

"Long time huh?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yeah," said Ron solemnly.

"We really thought we lost you on this one," continued Ron.

"Nope, you all are stuck with me for awhile." Harry chuckled at his own joke.

"Harry?"

"Yeah Gin?"

"What's wrong with your scar?"

Well guys, that's your chapter. I hope you enjoyed this. Foreshadowing and hints abounded in this one folks. Sorry to disappoint you all if you thought it was Sirius coming back. I had planted the clue with Regulus in chapter one; I was hoping you all would pick up on it. And yay! I topped 60,000 words. I'm so proud of myself. It's thanks to you all of course. So thank you. Please give me a review on this one. 


	16. The Most Recent & Dirty House of Riddle

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 16: The Most Recent and Dirty House of Riddle

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry reads about the Prank of the Century, Harry and company run into someone who smells like a goat, head to Riddle manor, and begin the search for Hufflepuff's cup.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Well guys, I'm back. I sincerely hoped you all enjoyed chapter 15. It looks like it from the reviews. That's the most I've had for a chapter. I personally like that chapter as one of my favorites. The story is flowing well I hope. I hope you all are enjoying it as much as I am. Not that you all care, but we are currently 3-2 in district and I am in second place for leading goal scorer in the district. 5 games to go. Then playoffs. Then that's it. And I will focus on this story if it isn't done by April. Bu_t _it should be. Anyway, about the story, I am just getting started with the suspense. Sorry this chapter took so long, it was just being a pain with me. I think I've finally got it where I need to be. But enough of my rambling. On to Chapter 16: The Most Recent and Dirty House of Riddle._

"_So who wants to go down the trapdoor, that refuses to light up, and go through the Lord knows how many traps so we can beat the big bad soulless evil guy first?"_

"_You should be more careful. Someone might mistake you for an optimist."_

"What do you mean 'what's wrong with your scar' Ginny?" asked Harry warily.

"It looks, I dunno, different, mate. She's right," ventured Ron slowly.

"Hand me a mirror," Harry said. Regulus offered him one. It looked oddly familiar.

Harry pushed his bangs aside and stared at his scar. It had doubled. Where there had been only one lightning bolt, there were now two. Like the original scar had been outlined and filled in. It went from normal to bold. It was hard to describe. Harry knew something had happened. And he remembered.

"_I would have enjoyed letting you loose on the world again. But, you have pushed me too far. My generosity only extends so far. Goodbye Harry. I hope you enjoy death. My understanding is it is swift and painless. But don't take my word for it. I have never died, after all. _Avada Kedavra._" _

Harry had been hit by the killing curse again, and lived to tell the tale. But, something in him had felt like it died. It wasn't like he had two souls in him was it? Harry's mind flashed back to something else, something he didn't remember.

_He saw a battle going on, two shadows, locked with one solid beam of light, and interlocked in an eternal battle._

Was that his soul? Being attacked by two other souls? That made no sense. Unless Voldemort had attacked him with his soul divided or something. But then, how did Harry survive? Did they stay in him? Waiting perhaps, for another opportunity to take control? But then, if Harry was hit with the killing curse, what exactly died? A stray fragment of Voldemort's soul? The remains of the horcrux from Ravenclaw's wand maybe? Harry was starting to get a headache.

"I think, that something inside me died while Voldemort had me."

Silence met Harry's words.

"You think maybe part of your soul died-?"

"Yes and no," said Harry, staring at Ron as he said it.

"What do you mean?"

"Part of someone's soul died in me."

Hermione gasped. "So you were a horcrux-?"

"I'm not sure. I think that maybe, when we destroyed the wand, part of Voldemort's soul entered me. That's why I blacked out."

Regulus opened his mouth to contribute for the first time. "How exactly did you destroy it?"

In detail, Harry explained how they had destroyed the wand. Regulus nodded along thoughtfully.

"You're right Harry. His soul did invade you. It tried to take over your body I'm sure. That's what happened to Dumbledore. He had to destroy his arm to get rid of the piece of the Dark Lord's soul. I'll take care of the cup, when we find it. I'm fairly certain it's at Riddle manor."

"So am I," said Harry, remembering the feeling he had when he had been taken hostage after the pick-up Quidditch match.

"So then, it looks like we're off to Riddle manor," said Ron.

"Not yet," said Regulus and Harry simultaneously.

"I still want to speak to Aberforth first," said Regulus.

"And I would rather wait a bit, we need to make sure we are ready for this," replied Harry.

"Just think guys, we take this one out, it's just Voldemort and Nagini," said Hermione quietly.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"We've come a long way in a short amount of time. What is it now? September? October? I don't know; I've lost track," said Harry.

"I think it's October. The 25th if I'm not mistaken," said Regulus. (A/N: The date's probably aren't that accurate, but let's just pretend it's almost Halloween, is that ok guys?)

"Time flies huh?"

"I guess so, yeah. So, what are we going to do?"

"Well, we need to find Aberforth first," said Regulus. "Then, we will have a duel, to see how far along you four are."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Harry asked. "Let's find Aberforth."

"I'll be back," Regulus said, and he swiftly departed. Harry sat down and picked up a book. He started reading while they waited for Regulus to come back. Harry opened it up to a random page and began to read.

"_The prank of the century. We returned for our final year at Hogwarts. As always, we had the customary Welcome Feast prank. But this one topped all the others. We had to outdo ourselves; it was our final year. James was headboy, Lily, headgirl. Remus was still a prefect. Sirius was just as crazy as always. And Peter was still along for the ride. So here's the recap._

"_You've got the glamour charm on right?"_

"_It's been perfected. Only the boggart can see you Padfoot."_

"_Great Moony. Now Prongs, be sure to bring our dear headgirl near me ok? This is going to be perfect. And Wormtail, did you finish the final touches for Snivellus?"_

"_Yeah, followed exactly what Moony said to do."_

"_Excellent my comrade in arms. Excellent. This will be great. Well? Let's go."_

"_Padfoot? What about-?"_

"_Already taken care of Prongsie my boy."_

"_Then, let's get this show on the road."_

_So we walked into the great hall, Moony silently dragging the invisible boggart, Prongs heading towards his unsuspecting girlfriend- "she is not!" "Get over it Prongs, you all will be married!" "You think so?" "Shotgun best man!" "Of course Prongs, would it work out any other way?" "Godfather too!" "Padfoot, your ruining the entry." "Sorry…" "It's ok, back to the story." his unsuspecting girlfriend, Wormtail shaking with laughter "I was not shaking with laughter!" "You were about to piss your pants Wormtail!" "Guys, what did I tell you?" "Sorry Mum." "It's Moony to you three. Yeah you too Prongs, I know you were thinking it." "What?" Anyway, Wormtail's robes turning a strange shade of yellow and Padfoot walking alongside the boggart, preparing for what it would become. The students all quieted down and watched the Marauders make their entrance, all staring warily, waiting for the prank that was bound to happen. And sure enough, they were not disappointed. Moony released the spell and the boggart appeared, staring directly at Sirius. Sirius forced himself to fear the scrawny Severus Snape, and lo and behold, so it became. Snape stared at the boggart murderously. _

"_Black!" But it was too late. _

"_Riddikulus!" Remember that one outfit Lily wore when she had claimed she was dressing up as a muggle? The summer dress, down to just above her knees and the tight top that Prongs was drooling over? Picture that on Snivellus. Needless to say, he was furious. At least, the real one was. The boggart looked confused. It stared at its' dress and gripped it's fake breasts that had appeared along for the ride. Snape charged._

"_I'll have you for this Black, you're going to-" But what Sirius was going to do was never know, because a bat appeared in Snape's place. Wormtail snickered uncontrollably. Prongs, who was with Lily, spilled his drink all over her, forcing her to stand and begin one of her long rants at him, but was interrupted when the bat flew right into her bun, which she had made up precisely for this event. Smack! It got tangled in Lily's hair and she shrieked. Prongs was in for it now. Not even the long lost twin from the future with a broken time turner excuse could get this one back to normal. Sirius kept under the cloak and left the room. Moony had already made it to his seat along with Wormtail while James, apologizing profusely to Lily, said he would get rid of the bat. _

"_Evanesco." The bat turned into Snape and both he and Lily fell onto the floor of the Great Hall. James's mouth opened in fake shock._

"_Fancy meeting you here Snape." James walked back to the Marauders' spot at the table and sat down, just as Sirius flew into the Great Hall, seemingly running late. _

"_What'd I miss guys?" They laughed, but the prank wasn't over. McGonagall had just arrived with the new first years, and her stern face showed that she was expecting a prank, not knowing one had already come to pass. Dumbledore had a twinkle in his eye, and they waited as the Sorting Hat began to sing._

"_A thousand years or more ago_

_There were the Founders, Hogwarts, Four._

_They strove to build a magical place,_

_To train the children of their race._

_Each of the four chose to handpick_

_The ones they would teach magic._

_Shrewd Ravenclaw said_

'_I want the ones, with intelligence in their head.'_

_Noble Slytherin told_

'_I want the ones from the pureblooded mold.'_

_Brave Gryffindor claimed_

'_I want the ones with bravery attached to their name.'_

_Fair Hufflepuff then took_

'_all the rest without a look.'_

_Today I will do_

_What they asked me too_

_Divide you in four_

_To each house once more._

_So come put me on your head_

_And let me have a look._

_Slytherin will be_

_Those with great cunning._

_Ravenclaw will be_

_Those of wise minds._

_Hufflepuff will be_

_Those who play fair._

_But Gryffindors beware_

_For the Marauders lie there."_

_Everyone burst into cheers, and the Marauders bowed extravagantly. Everyone had finished their part, and so ended the great prank of the century."_

Harry set down the book and laughed heartily. He looked around and noticed that Regulus had returned. And next to him stood someone Harry knew he had seen, but never recognized.

"Aberforth Dumbledore at your service." Harry knew it was him; he had smelled something that smelled suspiciously like goat. He looked a lot like Dumbledore, except missing the twinkle.

"I found him so I thought we could bring him along for the ride. We're heading to Riddle House, and last time I destroyed a horcrux, Aberforth helped me out. So I thought it would be a good idea if he came along," said Regulus.

"Where have you been anyway Aberforth?" asked Harry. "We went to your pub but we couldn't find you there. We were looking all over the place and everything." Aberforth looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"I had things to do. I was going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and I was, well, preparing for it." Harry thought that answer was kind of odd, leaving his pub without closing it to prepare for something, but he was here right now and he wouldn't outright lie to him would he? Harry would just have to accept that he would know when it was time for him to know, like Dumbledore always did to him. It wasn't like he had a choice.

"Right, well shall we get going then?" Harry did a mental count in his head. The diary, check, the ring, check, the locket, check, the wand, check. Yeah, he just needed the cup and Nagini. He wondered how this was going to work.

"_Portus_. I probably shouldn't be making an illegal portkey but I've grown past caring. The ministry is pretty much destroyed isn't it? No more minister. As a matter of fact, from what Aberforth has told me, Lucius and the gang are running the show in the government. Lucius has been elected to temporary interim Minister. With exclusive powers due to the war. It doesn't look pretty right now. But we're almost done. Everybody grab on."

"Wait!" yelled Remus. Harry turned towards his werewolf friend.

"Yeah Moony?" Harry asked.

Moony ignored Regulus and Aberforth. "Come here Harry. There's something you need to know." Harry left Hermione, Ron and Ginny alone and headed with Remus into the other room.

"Yeah?" Remus cast a silencing charm and a _colloportus_ on the door.

"The ministry is under the control of-"

"Lucius Malfoy, so I heard."

Remus looked at Harry incredulously.

"Right. Tonks has gotten the majority of the aurors together that she could. She's trying to unite them, but it's not looking very good. After Kingsley's and Scrimgeour's deaths, well, everything has been going down hill. Azkaban is lost, and so is Hogwarts as well. Avalon is all that's left. She currently has the aurors there and she's training them for an attack. She wants you to meet her there as soon as you can. You're the man running the show Harry. And we're having an order meeting at Avalon as well. So hurry back. There's a lot that is going to have to happen." Remus looked a lot older than he normally did. The war really was taking its' toll.

"I will be back as soon as I can Remus. I have to stop by the ministry though. There was something in the Department of Mysteries that I'm supposed to see," Harry said, recalling Rufus's words.

"Ok. Good luck Harry." Remus squeezed Harry's shoulders and started to walk out. "If I asked what you were doing or where you were going would it make any difference?"

Harry shook his head solemnly.

"I thought not. Give 'em Hell Harry." Harry nodded. Remus walked out, sighing as he closed the door and apparated away to somewhere else.

Harry cancelled Remus's charms and walked back into the room. At his friends' looks he waved his hand. 'Later,' he mouthed. They nodded.

"Can we go now?" asked Regulus.

"Yeah."

"On the count of three then: one, two, three." They spun around in circles and landed in the graveyard of Little Hangleton.

Harry's mind began to bring back memories, and his arm began to shiver a little as he remembered what had happened. They trooped up the hill, Harry slightly shaken after seeing the place of Voldemort's rebirth, and headed towards the Riddle house. Harry noticed with a smirk the tombstone where Malfoy had been hit. They kept on walking until they approached the back door. Harry felt a- something around him, almost in the air, but he couldn't quite place it. It looked like Regulus did too. Aberforth lowered his wand slightly. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny trailed behind, looking at just what was going on.

"I'll stand lookout," volunteered Aberforth. "When you have the horcrux just come get me and we will take care of it." They all agreed and headed in. Harry took one last look at Aberforth and saw him convulse a little bit, like he was having a fit. He coughed a couple of times and grabbed a flask from his side and drained it. He swished it around and swallowed, and the convulsion stopped. He sat patiently to await their return. Harry hoped he would be ok. They turned around and faced the task at hand: finding the hiding place of the horcrux.

Harry felt inside a burning desire, and he felt attracted. They passed by the room where he had been held captive. And then where his wand had been destroyed. Harry felt a pulling sensation from the next room.

"This way," he said quietly. He motioned for everyone to follow him and he headed towards the door. Regulus stopped him and tried to open it. It refused. Then Ron tried. Still nothing. Harry had an idea. He stared at the door and pictured a snake, rearing its ugly head at him. "Open." Only 'open' wasn't what came out. It was a hiss. The door still remained closed when Ron tried it.

"I think you may need a dark mark to open it. Let me try again Ron," said Regulus. He twisted the knob and it opened this time. The combination of parseltongue and a dark mark worked. They walked inside cautiously. It was dark as night.

"Lumos." Their wand tips alight, the room was illuminated a bit, but not much. Almost like having a flashlight whose batteries are dying. The room was still semi-dark. They groped almost blindly around the room. Harry put his hand out to feel the wall and tripped over something. He turned back around and investigated more closely what it was that had made him almost fall. It was a trap door. Harry levitated it open and looked inside. It was pitch black.

"That's darker than Fred and George's Peruvian Darkness powder. Anybody have a spare hand of glory?" asked Ginny.

"The one time Malfoy would actually be somewhat useful," muttered Ron darkly, and somewhat ashamed at admitting a ferret could be useful. Regulus looked around. Then he opened his mouth.

"So who wants to go down the trapdoor, that refuses to light up, and go through the Lordknows how many traps so we can beat the big bad soulless evil guy first?"

"You should be more careful. Someone might mistake you for an optimist." Harry turned. He didn't expect something like that to come from Hermione. He let loose a small chuckle.

"Well guys, here it goes. Let's go find that cup."

I know, I know, it was a short chapter and I'm terribly sorry. It just did not like me that much. As usual, when I give a short chapter though, I will give you a preview of the next one. I hope this makes it up to you all. And please, please, please, leave me a review. It really makes me happy when you alll do. That last chapters reviews were great. Keep it up. :) 

Chapter 17: A Traitor in Their Midst

Chapter Synopsis: The Burrow is destroyed. Hufflepuff's cup is destroyed taking someone else down with it. Grimmauld Place is attacked.


	17. A Traitor in Their Midst

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 17: A Traitor in Their Midst

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: The Burrow is destroyed. Hufflepuff's cup is destroyed taking someone else down with it. Grimmauld Place is attacked.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Ok guys, sorry for that short chapter on 16, I just had a bit to accomplish and had to make it here. We have a lot to do in this chapter. Find the cup, destroy the cup, kill someone off, destroy the Burrow, attack Grimmauld Place, and discover a traitor. Our Harry is a busy little wizard isn't he? He's got about, let's see, until chapter 23, so 6 more chapters, including this one, and then we'll be at chapter 23, which I have had planned for awhile. Just to let you know in advance, that chapter is only like 1,000 words. Then we will have chapter 24, chapter 25 which will be the end, and an alternate ending so I can write a type of sequel with a plot I've read about and thought was very good. So we've got 9 or 10 chapters to go. Thanks for sticking with me so far. You all have been great. And I've nearly topped my first story's stats. We're almost there. 7 more people add it to their favorites, 8 more people set it to alert, 2 more c2's and 32 more reviews, and I've topped my old story in every category. That will most definitely be impressive. Sorry for rambling so long. Here is Chapter 17: A Traitor in Their Midst._

_WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH IN THIS CHAPTER!_

"_So are you sure it was a lethifold then? You saw it leaving?"_

"_Yes. Exactly like a dementor, except they suffocate you in your sleep. Then they eat you without leaving a trace of the victim. It was in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."_

"_I wish I wouldn't have told her to take a nap..."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because she wouldn't be dead."

* * *

_

Harry chose to go down the trapdoor first, and he felt something shiver over his body, particularly his arm. Regulus followed next, holding his wand like a sword and slashing the darkness with the light his _Lumos_ was producing. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all looked on anxiously, and Ginny confidently walked down the trapdoor. But it was like she hit a wall. She couldn't get through the barrier. She bounced back and was knocked unconscious.

"Ugh?" Ginny squeaked in surprise, before slumping on the wall.

"I'll look after her," said Ron. "Hermione, they need you more than me."

"But how do I get through?" she cried.

"Take my hand," Harry said. He offered it to her, and she watched as his arm emerged from the darkness. She grabbed it and Harry pulled her down into the depths of Voldemort's personified Hell. She felt the barrier but it passed over her. They began to walk down the staircase, Regulus leading the way, and Hermione still gripping Harry's hand tightly. Abruptly, they reached the bottom and it leveled out.

"Lead the way Regulus," Harry whispered quietly, his voice carrying throughout the tunnel.

Regulus led them on, and then abruptly stopped.

"The first test," he stated. Regulus pushed up his sleeve, revealing his dark mark, and pressed on it. The tunnel began to shimmer, and light up. A rock on Harry's side began to glow a bright green.

"Hah!" Regulus exclaimed. He pointed his wand at the rock and cried "_Morsmorde_!"

The rock began to spin, and it spun in on itself. Then it disappeared with a pop. The three of them began to walk inside, but Regulus held a hand up.

"Only two of us can go on, the rock will reappear once we pass through it. Which one of us stays behind?"

Harry looked at Hermione, and looked at Regulus. Hermione already knew the answer. She launched herself onto Harry.

"Please be safe Harry, and come back to me ok?" She kissed him on the cheek for good luck. Harry gave her a comforting hug and kissed her on the forehead.

"I will Hermione, don't worry." Satisfied, she nodded, although it was a little slow, yet accepting. She sat herself on the ground and began to twirl her wand idly.

"Let's get going then," Regulus said. Harry and Regulus walked through the opening and the rock swiftly reappeared, separating Hermione from them. Harry put his hand on the other side of the rock and prayed to himself 'keep them safe.

"It only opens from the other side. Come on, we still have a long way to go." Harry pressed on, and watched in amazement as Regulus guided him through the death chamber. The very earth shook under Harry's feet as he walked. Occasionally, a stray beam of light would come near him and Harry would be forced to cast a shield charm or duck. Regulus seemed unfazed by them and kept on. Harry just stared in morbid fascination at the hiding place of this horcrux.

Harry walked forward and looked around him at the walls. Regulus abruptly stopped in front of him and Harry walked right into him. The result was that they fell into the pit that had been made to stop them. Regulus cursed. They landed roughly and picked themselves off the ground.

"Pay more attention Potter. That could have gotten us killed." Harry attempted to conjure a rope to get them back up while Regulus tried to levitate himself. Neither try worked.

"There's a spell preventing the use of magic," Regulus said.

Harry felt a ward similar to something he remembered from before, but couldn't quite place.

"We'll have to climb up, and if we can't then I'll just have to throw you up first, and you levitate me out." Harry nodded his agreement. It was quickly obvious that they couldn't climb out, so Regulus picked Harry up.

"One, TWO!" Regulus threw Harry as high as he could. Harry gripped on to the hard floor that they had been on earlier and hit the side of the cave with a thunk. He pulled himself up and managed to make it up. Harry realized he was on the other side of the pit, where they needed to go. He swished his wand, then flicked it while chanting, "_Wingardium Leviosa," _and pointed it at Regulus. Nothing happened.

"Try conjuring me a rope," Regulus called out. Harry did the best he could, and he was able to pull what could pass for a rope out of thin air. He threw it down to Regulus. Regulus climbed up the rope, walking on the side of the pit while Harry braced himself up on top. Regulus finally made it up with a final heave and the barrier around the pit came into existence, shimmered, and then disappeared.

"Well, let's keep going."

They pressed onward and saw a table.

"The horcrux," Harry said.

"Wait," Regulus warned.

"Yeah, I have an idea. _Accio Horcrux."_

Regulus tried to stop Harry from casting the spell, but it was too late. Harry stared expectantly around him, waiting for something to happen. He saw all of the cups shiver, but that was it. They approached the table cautiously and looked at all of the cups. Every single one of them was filled with a substance.

Regulus looked at each cup carefully. They were all replicas of Hufflepuff's cup.

"Well, each cup is the same, except the liquids inside are all different. One of them is the horcrux, but I have no idea which one. They all seem to anchor the cup though. You can't pick it up unless the cup is drained."

"Try a _scourgify_. Or an _evanesco_ maybe," Harry ventured hopefully. Neither worked.

"There has to be another way," mused Regulus. Harry was worried. Hermione was the one good at this kind of stuff. Not him. He would have to figure out which one was the real one. He stared at each cup closely. He looked at the third on his left.

"_Finite Incantatum!" _Nothing happened.

"It was a good idea Harry."

"Harry walked along the table looking at each cup, there were a total of seven in all. Harry remembered an obstacle years ago that had to do with potions and cups. Was it worth a try? It had been the third one then. Could it be the third one now? Harry tried to pull the cup up but it wouldn't budge. How then, was he supposed to drain it? Reminiscent of the cave, Harry conjured a small cup that fit inside it and drank it a little bit at a time. Regulus stared at him.

"What are you doing!"

"I think this one is it." Harry continued to slowly drain the cup of the potion. He was slowly but surely feeling the pain coming on. He had been through a lot of torture sessions before though, so the pain was nullified. Harry had grown a tolerance for it. It hit the level of Cruciatus about three-fourths of the way, but Harry continued stubbornly until he drank the last drop. Harry was then able to lift the cup off the table. When it did, the cup flew straight onto his forehead and attached itself to his scar.

"Ahhhh!" Harry yelled. The cup began to try and get inside his scar, if that was possible. Regulus positioned himself on Harry's side, but the pain was too much to bear.

"Don't move. _Reducto!" _The cup shattered and Harry saw Regulus make a strange motion with his wand. Harry realized it was the spell Dumbledore must have done. Harry finally noticed something that had come out of the cup, which now lay in pieces on the floor, with the large chunk sitting innocently on the ground. A spirit seemed to come from within the cup and sat between Regulus and Harry. Regulus jabbed at it with his wand and it dove right at him. Harry saw a flash of pure white light come from Regulus's wand and watched in awe as the spirit dodged, then latched itself onto Regulus's dark mark. He howled in pain. Then he subsided, and began to curse fluently.

"There goes my damn arm," he said. Regulus did that same spell again, and Harry watched as his arm turned into how Dumbledore's had been: black as the darkness. It was more than Regulus's arm though. It went all the way up to his left eye. He held only one eye open and limped noticeably on his left leg.

"Let's get out of here."

"Not so fast." Harry spun around at the sound of an intruder. He saw a head appear out of the shadows. Harry didn't recognize the man, but then Harry held onto the scream that had risen to his throat. This wasn't a man. His body was that of a lion, and Harry knew without seeing he had a scorpion's tail. It was a-

"Bloody manticore. Its skin repels just about everything magical and the stinger will kill you faster than a basilisk's eye." Harry heard it crooning softly.

"It likes to do that before it devours its prey," Regulus added.

"5 points to Slytherin," Harry muttered. Regulus forced a weary grin onto his face.

"Then let's kill it without magic," Harry stated.

"How do you propose we do that?"

"Easy. We just need Fawkes."

"And how do you expect Fawkes to come to you?" Regulus asked incredulously.

"I don't. I just know that he's loyal to Dumbledore, and I'm loyal to Dumbledore, so if I am in great need and he can help me, he will. Dumbledore was a great man, and Fawkes is just as great."

A flash came from Harry's right, and Fawkes appeared, trilling softly. Regulus shook his head disbelievingly.

"There you are Fawkes. Can you flash us out of here?"

Fawkes shook his head softly. He sang one quivering note. Inside Harry's head he heard, 'you can only get in, not out. I'm stuck here with you. Here is your sword though, it helped last time.' Harry noticed the sword of Gryffindor in Fawkes' talons. Harry grasped it firmly and stared defiantly at the manticore. It returned his gaze, whipping its tail menacingly.

"Do you know how to kill a manticore Harry?" Regulus asked.

"Not really," Harry admitted. "I was just going to try and stab it and see what happens."

"Well, it's basically immune to magic, and we'll have to dodge the stinger. So what do you propose?" Regulus asked.

"You cast spells at it and I'll try and hit it with the sword. You might want to conjure another sword or maybe some spears to throw at it or something," Harry said thoughtfully.

"I'm still weak from the horcrux but I'll do the best I can."

"Try not to use spells that are too dangerous. I'm going to use a disillusionment charm." And so, Harry did. He cast one on himself and wondered whether or not the manticore could see him. It wouldn't matter though. He would just have to rely on luck. The manticore had not moved because it couldn't decide which one of them to go after but once Harry had cast his charm, it chose Regulus. Regulus dodged the stinger and fired off some spells at its back while it skidded across the cavern. Some of the rocks from the ceiling fell onto their heads. Harry kept on coming from behind the manticore. He heard Regulus kept yelling out all these spells and some would hit the manticore, causing it to pause, but then continue. Harry snuck up behind him and when it was face to face with Regulus, cut off its tail. It howled painfully. Harry's sword started to shimmer for a minute and then became fully solid again. The tail writhed on the floor angrily. Harry cast a reductor curse at it with his other hand and it shattered into a million pieces, scattered across the dirt floor. It took a swipe at Regulus and Harry thrust the sword at it, forcing it to miss Regulus and instead collapse onto the ground, wounded. Harry sliced its' head clean off while it was on the floor and then wiped his sweaty brow.

"We did it," Harry said.

"Yeah," said Regulus painfully.

"Let's get out of here." They turned their back on the fallen manticore and began to walk out, Fawkes leading the way, but then Regulus cried out in pain.

"Regulus what happened?"

"It can- regenerate itself." And Regulus collapsed onto the floor from the stinger's hit. Harry summoned the remains of Hufflepuff's cup and levitated Regulus. Then he ran out, with Fawkes covering his back. Harry grabbed Regulus's wand, slid the sword onto his belt, and began casting spells at the manticore as they worked their way back through the cave. It was still headless but it was slowly regenerating it. Harry kept on backtracking, and twice fell, only to be lifted by Fawkes before a talon could hit him. Harry cast one more spell at it, then fell right into the pit. He swore. The manticore stood on top, staring at its' prey. It stood precariously on the edge, and then jumped in. Fawkes acted. He picked Harry up along with Regulus and flew them out to the other side of the pit. The manticore crooned angrily. It couldn't get out. Harry kept walking backwards warily until they made it back to the rock where Hermione was. A couple times he had to hit the ground when spears flew from the side of the cave, and Harry was actually hit once by a jelly-legs curse. Harry finally made it to the rock and yelled at Hermione to open it.

Harry listened, waiting for her voice. He heard a hesitant "_Morsmorde,_" a shriek, and then the rock whirled around, and then finally disappeared. Harry walked through, with Fawkes and Regulus trailing behind. Hermione engulfed him in a hug and all Harry could see was bushy brown hair.

"We need to get out of here. Regulus is hurt. Fawkes, flash him to the Burrow, we'll meet you there." Harry extricated himself from the sea of hair and looked at Regulus. Harry took one last look at Regulus and slid his wand back into his grip before Fawkes took him away. Harry felt his wrist, but he couldn't feel a pulse. Harry remembered him saying that the sting was fatal, but did it get him? Harry didn't know.

"Come on Hermione, let's get Ron and Ginny and apparate to the Burrow."

"Yeah, let's go. You got the horcrux then?"

Harry pulled out the remains of the cup to answer her question. As they made their way back to the trapdoor, Harry recounted the adventure they had. They made it back to the trapdoor without trouble, unless you count the two times that Hermione ran into a wall because it was 'too dark to see light' and landed on Harry. They reached up to it and Harry shoved it open. Ron and Ginny were just where they left them, only Ginny wasn't looking too good. She had regained consciousness, but she still looked the worse for wear. Hermione had remembered to grab Harry's arm so they could make it out, and then they went to apparate to the Burrow.

"To the Burrow guys, we'll meet you there." Harry spun on the spot to apparate but then shouted at his friends.

"There's a ward, don't do it!" They stopped in mid spin and looked at him. Harry had an idea.

"Aberforth!" Harry yelled. The wizard walked through the door to them, after taking another swig from his flask.

"Do you have the portkey?" Harry asked frantically.

"Right here," he said, pulling it out. Harry grabbed the portkey they had used to get there and Aberforth reactivated it. They all grabbed on, and the familiar pull on the navel came, whisking them away to Grimmauld Place. Once they hit the ground there, they walked outside and apparated to the Burrow. Aberforth stayed at Grimmauld place to grab a drink.

Harry had apparated to the edge of the lane, where he and Dumbledore had apparated to last time, and they approached the Burrow. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had all appeared near him. When they came around the bend and the Burrow was in view, it was not a pretty sight.

Harry saw the elder Weasley's fighting off what looked like inferi. The corpses were trying to get to the garden. The house itself was already in flames, and that seemed like one of the only things that were preventing the inferi from charging. Harry saw Fawkes with them, trying to help as best he could. Harry gathered the three of his friends.

"We need fire, that's the thing that inferi hate most, and can't stand. That will hold them off. Hermione, you're good at fire, so you start casting that. Ginny, just start firing _incendio's, _Ron, come on, let's go. I have an idea."

Hermione and Ginny cautiously approached the inferi from the back. Harry watched them as they began to throw fire at the intruders. The Weasleys, still struggling, kept on retaliating and holding them at bay.

"Look, Dumbledore cast this spell in the cave that held them off. I think I can remember how he did it. It was a pretty strong spell though; I'm not sure if I can pull it off. So if that doesn't work, then here's what we need to do." Harry started to explain his plan but he was cut off by a cry in the horizon.

"Bloody hell, its Charlie!" cried Ron.

"And look what he's riding," continued Harry in awe. Charlie flew in to reinforce the troops, on the back of none other than-

"Norbert! Can you believe he brought a bloody _dragon?" _

"They must have sent him a message with the patronus," reasoned Harry.

"Right, well, let's do that spell Harry."

Harry cast his mind back to the day in the cave, and remembered Dumbledore coming back to Harry's aid. _Flamma orbis. _That was it. The spell that made a ring of fire around them made of scarlet and gold. He could use it to part the sea of inferi and get to the Weasleys. Harry tried it once, absently, and non-verbally. To his amazement, a ring of fire did appear, and it scorched Ron's eyebrow, the same one that had vanished during the apparition test.

"Ouch!" shouted Ron.

"Well I think I've got the spell. Let's go." Harry ran with Ron to rejoin Hermione and Ginny, and to try and pass the army of inferi. Charlie and Norbert were wreaking havoc on the army and the tide was slowly turning. The Burrow continued to burn, the flames dancing merrily. Harry wielded his wand like a torch and shouted the spell into the air.

"_Flamma orbis," _Harry yelled. And the ring of fire surrounded him; it's golden color blinding those too close to it. The inferi, dazed, scattered as Harry passed by them. They reunited with the Weasleys, several of whom looked the worse for wear. Fred's robes were torn, and he was bleeding from a large scratch on his arm; George had a split lip and a bruised knuckle, presumably from where he had punched one of the offending corpses. Fawkes was doing the best he could, creating flames and singing to brighten their spirits. Regulus lay on the ground, as cold as the hands of the inferi who were crawling towards them. Twice Bill was almost bitten, but they succeeded in downing the inferi before they could attack. Harry shuddered to think what would happen if they were bitten. Better not to find out.

"We need to just apparate out of here!" shouted Mr. Weasley over the noise.

"Agreed. Let's go!" yelled Bill.

"Charlie! Meet us at Avalon with the dragon! Warn the Lovegood's and the Diggory's first if you can!" Mr. Weasley yelled. At Charlie's nod, Mr. Weasley sighed and he grabbed Mrs. Weasley and apparated on the spot. The twins nodded at each other and followed suit. Harry grabbed Ginny and Ron grabbed Hermione.

"To Grimmauld first." Harry said. Bill left next, Charlie began to fly off, and the four of them prepared to leave before they were swarmed by the army of inferi. Harry moved to grab Regulus, but Regulus suddenly stood up out of his own free will. Harry's eyes met Regulus's, and it was a scary picture. His eyes were as black and soulless as the inferi around them. They had changed him. Harry apparated as the inferi Regulus tried to take a swipe at him. The last thing he saw was the Burrow collapsing inward on itself before he and Ginny disappeared with a pop. They all reappeared in the kitchen and Aberforth hardly seemed to notice their reappearance. But he did.

"You all should get some rest, it's been an eventful day. But what happened to Regulus?" Aberforth asked.

"He's dead," Harry said softly.

"That's a shame. Do you have the horcrux?" At Harry's silence Aberforth sighed.

"He tried to destroy it himself didn't he?" Harry nodded.

"And did he destroy it?" Harry nodded once more. "That and the manticore are what ended up killing him. And then an inferi." Aberforth swore.

"A fate worse than death itself, if that did happen. Oh no. This isn't good," Aberforth muttered to himself.

Harry had to strain his ears to hear it, but decided he was better off not commenting on it.

"You should get some rest. It's been a long day," Aberforth repeated. Harry nodded.

"Ginny let's go get some rest. Hermione, Ron?" Harry asked, but they had already left to the library. Hermione wanted to find something. Harry sighed and slipped his hand into Ginny's. It was nice to feel her warmth again. He had missed her. They walked up to Harry's room and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling Gin?" Harry asked sincerely. He still held her hand and he rubbed it a couple times to try and entice her to talk. She moved her other hand to rub a bump on her head.

"Not too good. I feel like I hit a brick wall. That barrier was like the one that night at Hogwarts," Ginny said quietly. Harry wondered if she knew how close to the truth she was. Harry also wondered if now was the right time to tell Ginny. He didn't really want to tell anyone. Regulus had known, but he was dead now. So Harry was really the only one who held his secret. Of course Voldemort and the death eaters knew as well, but Harry wasn't sure if he was ready yet. Some of the things Voldemort had said had hit too close to home.

"_They'll just leave you the moment they know. That is why I have no true friends Harry. Just followers. Because followers depend on me to give them something: power. And in turn they obey my commands. Friends however, have nothing to hold them together, no balance, no give and take. It can go all one way. Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived. That's a high title isn't it? Some even say better than Lord Voldemort. They are mistaken of course, but still, people will flock to you, as they undoubtedly have. But they are not friends. Just followers. And once they find out the truth, they will leave you. Once they see-"_

"_No!" Harry cried._

"_Alas, I thought you were ready. I suppose not," Voldemort sighed. "Crucio!"_

Was Voldemort right? Harry didn't know, and he didn't dare risk it. Maybe he would tell her another time. Maybe when she woke up. He was too tired to think properly.

"Let's get some rest. Here, you can sleep in here. I'm going to check on something then I'll be back."

"Stay with me Harry? Please. I don't really want to be alone right now. The Burrow is gone, and I don't know for sure if my family is ok. Just this once?"

"Ok Gin. I'll come back and we can stay in here. You'll be safe. I promise," Harry said. He leaned over to her and kissed her. Ginny kissed him back and Harry felt all her pent-up emotions coming out. He slid his hand through her hair, silently marveling at its' softness, and he just soaked in Ginny's love. He broke it off and laid her head on the pillow.

"I'll be back," Harry said. Ginny sighed and nodded. She blew him a kiss as he walked out and Harry caught it, slipping it into his pocket for later. Ginny giggled and rolled onto her side, succumbing to sleep.

Harry headed back downstairs. He placed the remains of Hufflepuff's cup in the drawing room by the tapestry and walked into the kitchen to grab a snack. Aberforth was gone to who knows where, and Ron and Hermione were in the library. The rest of the Weasleys had gone to Avalon. Harry would meet them there soon enough, he had just needed to pick up Aberforth and wanted to deposit the cup. Harry got a sandwich made and sat down at the table, chewing it thoughtfully.

Harry reached over to grab some water absentmindedly and heard a strange noise. Harry looked around and glanced up at Ginny's room; that's where the noise sounded like it had come from. Harry started to get up and check on her, but realized he had knocked over the water. That must have been what he heard. He settled back down and continued eating his sandwich. When he finished, he headed back to the sink and washed the plate. It was the only clean plate he had been able to find in the kitchen and he wanted to keep it that way. Once he finished he headed back up to Ginny's room. He walked in but she wasn't there. The bed was empty, and the whole room looked almost spotless. You couldn't even tell someone had been there. Harry walked back downstairs and ran into Aberforth.

"Have you seen Ginny?"

"Which room was she in?" Aberforth asked. Harry looked at him strangely because of the odd question but pointed at her room nonetheless.

"That one."

"You should sit down Harry."

"Why," Harry asked guardedly.

"Ginny is dead," Aberforth said.

"What!" Harry screamed. "How?"

"I believe she suffocated, and then was eaten. They leave no trace of their victim."

"What the hell would do that?" Harry screamed. He breathed rapidly, in an attempt to calm himself. This was all just some sick and twisted joke. Ginny. His Ginny. She couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible. They were supposed to be together, forever. She wasn't supposed to die. Not like this. Harry would kill him. Voldemort had just signed his own death warrant. Ginny couldn't be dead. Harry breathed slowly and looked at Aberforth. Aberforth drank from his flask and regarded Harry thoughtfully.

"A lethifold."

"So are you sure it was a lethifold then? You saw it leaving?"

"Yes. Exactly like a dementor, except they suffocate you in your sleep. Then they eat you without leaving a trace of the victim. It was in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

"I wish I wouldn't have told her to take a nap..."

"Why?"

"Because she wouldn't be dead."

"I'm sorry Harry." It was an inadequate response, and they both knew it. Harry sat in silence. Hermione and Ron finally came out of the library from Harry's screams. Hermione's hair was all over the place and Ron had a goofy grin on his face. Harry couldn't tell them. Not now. He would have to hope they were too into each other right now to notice Ginny was missing.

"We need to go to Avalon. Everyone's waiting for us. Let's go," Harry said, his eyes taking on a determined flash of silver and his tone flat and emotionless. Ron and Hermione just shrugged it off and the four of them apparated to Avalon.

There is chapter 17, I hope you all enjoyed it. Please leave a review. And let me just say one thing: Everything is not as it seems. Remember that.


	18. A Desperate Plan

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 18: A Desperate Plan

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: The remains of the forces of light meet up in Avalon, the only safe place left to reunite their scattered forces and lay out a desperate plan that raises the stakes to all or nothing. Avalon has unmasked the traitor, the order has been decimated, and all that remain are a few brave souls willing to give everything to survive. The Final Battle is close at hand, and just in case, Harry has found something that could be a backup if all else fails. Harry and Avalon also have a bit of a connection, allowing something to occur that hasn't happened since Merlin.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: First of all, borrowed a couple things from T.A. Barron in this chapter, so those are his, the rest are Rowling's. Sorry about that cliffhanger last chapter, I hoped you all would have paid more attention. I said only one character was going to die. I don't know about you all, but I think Regulus is dead no? As for Ginny, well, she is indisposed. Harry has only Aberforth's word on that. We will see how much "Aberforth's" word is worth in this chapter. So for those of you all shocked at my actions, please stay with me, and if you are reading this, then you are still here. Just wait and see what happens at Avalon and everything will become crystal clear. And I hope this chapter serves as a reply to the questions that arose. _

_**GINNY IS NOT DEAD!**_

_I'm not planning on killing her off, at least, not yet. Oooo the suspense. We'll see what becomes of her. For now, on to chapter 18: A Desperate Plan._

"_**Averto Vicis," he read aloud. "The second chance spell. Exercise with caution. This spell will transfer part of you back in time, to the destination of your choice. You may only go back as far as to the day of your birth, because you must be alive in the time you choose to go to. You will essentially merge with your counterpart from that time, retaining all memories of your previous life if cast successfully. It is dangerous because it splits up the human core, which is divided into three parts, the soul, the life essence, and the self-identity, which includes memories. It is possible to live without your self-identity and memories, or without your soul. Without your life essence though, it is impossible to live. Each spell corresponds to each part. Avada Kedavra destroys the life essence, the dementor destroys the soul, and a memory charm takes care of identity and memories. This spell copies your memories, destroys your life essences, and transports your soul back to your younger self. Be wary, for to change time is an act against nature, and fate will be against you every step of the way. Good luck fellow wizard. –Olo Eopia (or as some like to call me, Merlin.)"

* * *

**_

Harry had made sure he had the sword of Gryffindor, then apparated away. They all arrived at Avalon, at the apparition point that had been set up. Harry, comprehension beginning to dawn on him that Ginny was in fact dead, that he would never see her chocolate brown eyes, never feel her warm hand in his, never her laugh echo through the room, was wiping tears from his eyes. Grief-stricken, he noticed a barrier. Harry walked to the barrier and felt it testing him it seemed like. Harry then began to hear something in his mind.

"Very interesting. You have both great potential for good, yet equally great potential for evil. I haven't seen anything like that since Merlin, when he first planted me and helped me to become into existence. Inside though, I can see that you are inclined to do good. For that reason, I will admit you. And you have a strong bond with someone, Befr Enaid."

"Befr Enaid?"

"You're true name. And the one you share a bond with is in danger. She needs you."

"You mean Ginny?"

"That is her name, yes."

"What do you mean she needs me? She's dead."

"You shouldn't believe everything Befr Enaid. I can sense her. The seed I sprouted from held great magic, which runs through my roots. I can also sense someone here is holding an evil secret. When they attempt to pass through the barrier, I shall know."

"Are you the voice of Avalon?"

"That is good enough for now."

"What does Befr Enaid mean?"

"Bright soul. That is all I can say. Whether it is a bright light, or a bright and complete darkness, I cannot say. It is up to you to choose. We shall find the evil one anon."

"Thank you Avalon. You are sure then, that Ginny is not dead?"

"Quite."

"Then I know who the traitor is."

"We shall see."

The conversation abruptly ended and Harry was admitted to Avalon. Ron followed next, and came through swiftly, followed by Hermione, who also had no trouble. Harry watched Aberforth proceed through the barrier and stop. Avalon began to speak to him. Suddenly, where Aberforth once stood was someone else. Harry watched as he entered convulsions and his body shook. It reminded of Harry of the time he had taken a polyjuice potion in second year. Harry watched as the features of Aberforth changed, until he was revealed to be none other than-

"Malfoy? Lucius Malfoy?" Harry made a motion, signaling to Ron to go and get one of the aurors.

"What's it to you Potter?"

"What'd you do to Aberforth? And Ginny?"

"Do you honestly think I would tell you that?"

"Well, yes."

"Oh really," sneered Malfoy. "And what, prey tell, would make you think that?"

Harry wordlessly stunned Malfoy and walked over to him. He cast an _enervate, _and then shouted "_Legilimins!" _In the lessons with Remus, Harry had developed an aptitude for Legilimency and they had explored it. Harry had grasped the concept and was able to read part of Remus's mind. He scanned Malfoy's thoughts. He let the idea of Aberforth float into his mind and he saw the body of Dumbledore's brother. It was in very bad shape, with patches of hair missing from the parts needed for the polyjuice potion. He focused on Aberforth and came to the conclusion that he was at Malfoy manor.

He continued in the memories, only this time thinking about Ginny. His love. He preyed to anyone who would listen that Avalon was right and that she was alive. Harry still held hope she hadn't been killed by a lethifold, and that small flame flickered defiantly inside his chest. He could not live without his Ginny. He just couldn't accept the fact that she was gone.

She floated into Malfoy's thoughts, looking as peaceful as an angel. Harry watched as Malfoy stunned her in her sleep and slipped something into her hands. Harry watched as she disappeared from his sight. She had been handed a portkey. Harry searched back further, trying to find out where the portkey would take her. Harry watched Malfoy meeting with Voldemort, and they concocted a plan to kidnap Ginny. The portkey would take her to Hogwarts itself. Harry would save her. He pulled out of Malfoy's thoughts.

"Ginny's at Hogwarts," Harry announced to the air. Avalon infiltrated his mind, but as a calming sense. "I weakened his mind, so you were able to view what you needed to. You know what to do, Befr Enaid."

"What do you mean Ginny's at Hogwarts? I thought she went ahead of us Harry," said Ron indignantly. Garry realized Ron had returned, with the remains of the order at his heels.

"Malfoy kidnapped her, using a portkey. She's in Voldemort's hands." Harry looked around at all the brave faces surrounding him. His gaze swept the company. Mad-eye Moody, as battle-weary as ever, Professor McGonagall, with the thinnest face he had ever seen, Remus, tired yet determined, Ron and Hermione, glowing with their love for each other and a fire blazing in their eyes to rescue Ginny, Bill and Charlie, looking like they were about to tear Malfoy limb from limb, Fred and George, who were consoling Mrs. Weasley, and Dedalus Diggle. Diggle apparently had news, because he was shifting nervously form side to side.

"Diggle? Do you need to use the loo?" growled Moody.

"It's just that, I didn't get to finish my report."

"Finish it then, we're all ears," Moody replied.

"The attacks were widespread and simultaneous. The Burrow wasn't the only place hit. Attacks on the homes of order members occurred. There were almost no survivors. The patronus charm was sent, rounding up everyone and giving the order to meet at Avalon. Weasley was injured at the Burrow, and is currently being attended to by two auror medics, and Tonks is currently bringing the rest of the auror department up to speed. Two other order members are helping her with that; I think they were Hestia and Crockford. Our total forces amount to about 30 people if I'm not mistaken. A decent size force for a rescue mission, if that is what you plan on doing Potter. And from what Moody has told me about you, it sounds like that is what you were planning on doing."

Harry just nodded resolutely.

"We will need to make a plan of course," said McGonagall. "There will be no snap decisions until we are on the battlefield. This must be well thought out. Voldemort himself will more than likely be there, and we will have to prepare ourselves. We will need a plan. This will not end up like it did two years ago."

Harry, about to argue and say there was no time, remembered Sirius, and fell silent. Hermione shot him a glance and Harry met her gaze, watching as a silent tear slid down her cheek.

"Everyone, let's head with the aurors. We have a lot of things to talk about."

"What about Malfoy?" Harry asked.

Moody walked over and inspected him, kicking him twice in the gut for good measure.

"Well Minerva? What do you think we should do with our esteemed minister of magic? I'm all for just executing him. What do you think?"

"Alastor? Execute him?"

"It's not like we can send him to Azkaban. I sure as hell don't want him here. You have any other ideas?"

Harry had walked over to Malfoy as they deliberated and snapped his wand. Harry stared at the face of the man who had kidnapped Ginny. Had stolen his Ginny from him. Harry would have to kill Voldemort. He wanted to. He also felt like killing Snape, but at times he wasn't so sure. But Malfoy? Harry still had no plan as to how he would kill Voldemort, and he still needed to kill Nagini first. Would he just kill Nagini and send an Avada Kedavra at Voldemort? It was the only way he could kill someone. Harry looked at Malfoy. But that would be murder wouldn't it? It wasn't in self-defense, him killing Malfoy.

Harry walked away. He just kept walking, letting the ground direct him. He just kept on walking until he was by a nearby tree, and he sunk onto the ground. Something fell out of the tree and hit Harry on the head. It was more like it had been thrown, but nobody was around him. He picked up the object and looked at it. It was a book.

"The magical spells of Olo Eopia," Harry read aloud. He flipped through the book and looked at some of the different spells. He had no idea who Olo Eopia was. There was one spell that caught his eye, and he began to read.

"The battle spell: when fighting an opponent, this spell is often used to prevent others from coming to harm. Simply chant the incantation _eo obex_, while moving your wand in a circle around yourself, and the pointing it at your opponent, and the spell will be in effect. Some after effects include spells occasionally bouncing off the barrier, and the fighters being transported somewhere else if a spell is cast strong enough to break the barrier from the outside. To end the spell, point your wand at the ground and speak _Terminatio obex._"

'That could be useful when fighting Voldemort,' Harry thought. Harry flipped through the spell and then found one that was something he had always wished for.

"_Averto Vicis_," he read aloud. "The second chance spell. Exercise with caution. This spell will transfer part of you back in time, to the destination of your choice. You may only go back as far as to the day of your birth, because you must be alive in the time you choose to go to. You will essentially merge with your counterpart from that time, retaining all memories of your previous life if cast successfully. It is dangerous because it splits up the human core, which is divided into three parts, the soul, the life essence, and the self-identity, which includes memories. It is possible to live without your self-identity and memories, or without your soul. Without your life essence though, it is impossible to live. Each spell corresponds to each part. _Avada Kedavra_ destroys the life essence, the dementor destroys the soul, and a memory charm takes care of identity and memories. This spell copies your memories, destroys your life essences, and transports your soul back to your younger self. Be wary, for to change time is an act against nature, and fate will be against you every step of the way. Good luck fellow wizard. –Olo Eopia (or as some like to call me, Merlin.)"

"If you still wish to use this spell, just recite the incantation, with a specific time and date in mind, point the wand at your head, and picture your mind, your memories, and your soul clearly in your head. Feel them if you can. If cast correctly, you will be essentially killed, than sent back to the time you choose. Don't worry about being killed, if you are using this spell death is probably an equally optimistic solution. Once again, I wish you the best of luck. If I am able to, I will attempt to help you along the way. That is, if you succeed in returning to the past. Time is very stubborn at times. We have a strange balance, and I will aid you if I can. Goodbye."

"So that's who Olo Eopia is then," said Harry. He turned the page, but the rest of the book was blank.

"If we don't save Ginny, I can just use this spell to go back and prevent Malfoy from taking her," Harry said. He stared at a leaf that had fallen from the tree and watched its gentle descent until it landed on the ground by where Harry had placed the book. He reached to pocket it, but it had disappeared.

"Harry!"

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

"We've been looking all over for you. Come on, we need to plan."

Harry followed Hermione back and met with the remainder of the forces of the light.

"Let me see your wand Harry," said Moody.

Harry handed it over reluctantly. Moody tapped the end of it.

"There, once we apparate to Hogwarts you have twenty minutes. After twenty minutes, that's it. Your wand will transport you back to Avalon. No heroics. We will be going in through the shrieking shack. Remus has control of the marauder's map, and we will communicate with the patroni if needed. Remember, just think your message, who you want to send it to, and cast _Mandatum Patronum. _I believe that's it. Everyone apparate to Hogsmeade, and meet at the shrieking shack. Move out," said Moody.

Harry walked to the edge of the barrier and watched as everyone apparated to Hogsmeade. Avalon entered his mind one last time.

"You will be ok. Olo Eopia is watching out for you. He has let me in on something though, something you need to know. You are not ready to kill the dark one. He is still invincible. You must-"

"Kill Nagini, I know. Thank you Avalon, you have been most gracious but I need to save Ginny. I will be back in twenty minutes, and hopefully this whole thing will be over. Goodbye."

"Wait!"

But Harry had already apparated away before Avalon could finish its' message,

He arrived in Hogsmeade and headed to the shrieking shack. They all entered it and walked through the tunnel stealthily, heading towards the opening at the Whomping Willow, the tree that always fought back. Remus had activated the map, and they all came out safely on the other side. Moody assembled the forces.

"Ok Remus, where is she?"

"She's not on the map Moody."

"Impossible."

"No," Harry spoke up.

"What Potter? Got something to say?"

"I know where she is."

"You do huh?"

"She's in the Chamber of Secrets. I'm the only one who can open it besides Voldemort himself."

"And why is that?"

"Parseltongue remember?" Harry said, pointing at his tongue for good measure. Moody nodded.

"Alright then, I want a sweep of the castle, Potter, take Granger, Weasley, and these three morons and head down to the chamber then."

"Hey, we aren't morons. I'm Auror Smith, that's Auror Byrd, and that's Auror Higgins. We are top of the auror program-"

"And since it is ministry operated, that makes you morons," finished Moody. "Now get going. It looks like we will be having our hands full with death eaters eh Lupin?"

Remus nodded solemnly.

"Then let's go. We will meet you at the chamber."

And so the rescue mission began.

Ok guys, sorry about last chapter, if any of you thought it was poorly written, you may have been right. It's hard for someone to critique their own work. I apologize if I botched it up. I had had that idea in mind for awhile, because I needed to get Harry to the final battle, but early, before he was really ready for it. You will see in the next couple chapters. We are down to I think 5 or 6 more if I'm not mistaken. Thanks for sticking with me and please review. Here's chapter 19 preview.

Chapter 19: Just one more?

Chapter Synopsis: Harry and the remnants of the light forces attack Hogwarts, in an attempt to rescue Ginny. Harry himself heads down to the chamber, and with the diary, ring, locket, wand, and cup destroyed, he still needs to get Nagini before Voldemort can be stopped. He goes after Ginny, still leaving one horcrux to destroy, besides Voldemort himself. But things aren't as they seem.


	19. Just One More?

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure 

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 19: Just One More?

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry and the remnants of the light forces attack Hogwarts, in an attempt to rescue Ginny. Harry himself heads down to the chamber, and with the diary, ring, locket, wand, and cup destroyed, he still needs to get Nagini before Voldemort can be stopped. He goes after Ginny, still leaving one horcrux to destroy, besides Voldemort himself. But things aren't as they seem.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: First off, borrowed Quintaped and Isle of Drear straight from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Ok, I hope that quick update made you all happy, sorry this one took longer. This is like the prequel to the final battle. I think 5 more chapters to go. Maybe 6. I'm not sure. I'm too lazy and tired to count so oh well. Just finished a soccer game. We lost 2-1, so I'm writing to cheer myself up. Hopefully this battle will be written out ok. We'll see. Let me know what you all think. For now, here's chapter 19, Just One More?_

"**_Yes, he knows we're after the horcruxes, and there's _still_ one left," said Hermione._**

"_**Bloody hell, that makes things complicated doesn't it?" replied Ron.**_

"_**Well, at least I know where we need to go: The Isle of Drear," concluded Harry.

* * *

**_

Feet pounding, Harry ran through the front doors of Hogwarts, Hermione and Ron at his heels, intent on getting to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Twice they had to slow down before getting into a fight with a death eater, and the death eaters missed seeing him because of something Peeves did the first time, and because Sir Nicholas saw the Gryffindors and caused a distraction so the trio could keep going. The three morons from the auror department ended up getting in a fight with a couple death eaters, but the trio moved on to the bathroom.

When Harry finally made it to the bathroom, he checked to make sure no one was nearby. He approached the faucet cautiously. The entrance was already opened. Harry felt for the sword of Gryffindor at his side and grasped his wand in his hand. He had twenty minutes. That was all he remembered.

"Ready guys?" Harry asked. A rough jerk of his head from Ron and a silent nod from Hermione confirmed all he needed to know.

"Just watch out on the way down," Harry warned. Then, he jumped. Ron and Hermione followed behind him and the three of them slid down the pipe to get down to the Chamber of Secrets. They had been down here before, when Harry had found the notebook Riddle had left, when they had looked for the horcrux that wasn't there. And of course, Harry had been to the chamber in his second year, strangely enough to save Ginny, which is what he would be doing again.

"Watch out for the snakeskin," Harry called.

"And there's where Lockhart lost his mind," yelled Ron happily. His voice echoed eerily in the silence of the chamber.

"His mind was already lost Ron, remember?"

"Yeah, of course some people didn't notice right away; can you believe some people actually _fancied _the git?" Ron asked. Harry chanced a glanced at Hermione. 'Yup, she looked murderous,' Harry thought. Harry intervened before the Granger-Weasley duel would take place.

"Ginny, don't forget Ginny." Hermione's expression quickly softened, but not before she gave Ron a glare that seemed to scream, 'ohhh you're in for it now.'

They made their way through the chamber, passing through the spot where it had collapsed 5 years ago, and pressed on, until they reached the entrance. Harry, speaking parseltongue, spoke to the snake guarding the inner chamber.

"Open," Harry hissed. And it did, no questions asked. Afraid of what Harry would see, he walked into the chamber hesitantly.

"Ah. Harry, I was wondering how long it would take you to show up. As good a job at kidnapping your girlfriend as Lucius did, I knew you would find out, and come seek me. It's quite fortunate really. Honestly, I don't have anything against the mudblood lover; I just wanted our final confrontation to be on my terms. That's all. You know, she looks remarkably like your mother," commented Lord Voldemort, a man who was number one on Harry's hit list. Harry looked around the chamber. Snape was present, as was Bellatrix. And Ginny. His Ginny. She was safe. For now. Harry would have to continue Riddle's word games. Fight fire with fire.

"Don't even pretend you were worthy to look at the face of my mother," Harry retaliated.

"Me, Lord Voldemort, unworthy of gazing at the face of a mudblood?" scoffed Voldemort. "Manners Harry. I thought I had made progress with you before. Apparently not."

Ron and Hermione gazed at Harry, the unspoken question hanging in the air. They flanked him, each ready to fight, to save Ginny.

"What did you do to her?" Harry demanded.

"Me?" Voldemort asked innocently. "I didn't do a thing to her. You caused this Harry. All because of your love for her. And look at how you repaid her. Death. Such a poor way to repay love don't you think? Not that I would know, as I have never loved, nor died."

"You've never lived either. And she isn't dead," Harry said fiercely.

"Temper Harry. You must be more respectful to your superiors. Dumbledore wouldn't want you to be disrespectful would he?"

"I wouldn't know, since he isn't here anymore. And funnily enough, even you, the great Dark Lord that everyone's been talking about," Harry said sarcastically, "couldn't kill him. Oh no, it was the infamous potions master, not you. You still couldn't defeat Dumbledore." Voldemort looked pissed. And that made Harry happy. His clock was letting him know he had about ten minutes left. His wand was set to burn him with one minute left and he just had to make sure Ginny was holding onto the wand when the portkey activated.

"You dare mock me? I will kill you Harry Potter."

"You know, that threat gets less dangerous every time I hear it."

"I've had enough of your insolence. Bow down to your master Potter!"

"You aren't my master!"

"Oh, is that so? Then what is that on your arm?"

Voldemort cast a cutting spell at Harry. Too surprised to block it, it cut the sleeve on his arm and it fell away, revealing-

"Nothing. There isn't anything there." Harry heard Ron and Hermione collectively sigh, relieved that the dark mark wasn't adorned on his arm.

"My mistake. It was the other one wasn't it?" Voldemort cast the spell again, but Harry, ready this time, dodged, and the battle began in earnest. Bellatrix jumped into the fray, sending a cruciatus at Hermione, who dove to the side to miss it, and fired a stunner in return. Snape began fighting Ron, but it didn't seem like he was even trying. Harry maneuvered himself to get closer to Ginny. He blocked Voldemort's lung-crushing hex and fired off a **conjunctivitis** curse in return. He heard a scream from Voldemort and a satisfied grin came across Harry's face. Voldemort was partially blind.

"You'll pay for that! _Crucio!" _Harry deftly summoned a boulder from the chamber that blocked the spell and fired back a _sectumsempra. _Voldemort laughed, spinning around to evade the curse, and shot a ball of fire at Harry. Harry cast the first spell that came to him.

"_Aguamenti!" _

The jet of water headed toward the ball but it suddenly ducked and came back at Harry. He redirected the jet of water and finally doused it. The ball kept coming though and hit him right in the chest. Harry fell onto the floor, momentarily dazed. That's when he noticed Nagini. She was hissing at him menacingly.

"_Sssssoooo hungry. You ssshhhoould be good to eat. Mmmm yessss. Sssshhhhhow me!"_

Startled, Harry looked up into the eyes of the snake. The snake that contained a piece of Voldemort's soul. Voldemort watched on, intrigued, wondering how long Harry would last against the snake. How Harry knew that, he didn't know, but he knew one thing. His sword had killed a basilisk, it could handle a snake.

Harry lifted his hand and the sword of Gryffindor flew into it. Nagini faltered, and Harry struck. The sword connected with the snake, but it just bounced off. Harry tried again, this time higher up, but nothing happened. Its body was sword-proof. Harry swore, as Voldemort chuckled. Nagini opened her mouth to bite Harry. Struck with a sudden idea, Harry thrust the sword inside Nagini's mouth. The smile on Voldemort's face was instantly wiped off. Nagini screamed in pain, writhed on the ground, then died, but not before she was able to sink her venom into Harry. But that wasn't all she put in him. Harry felt the presence of Voldemort's soul inside the snake, and felt it as it tried to unite with him. Harry pushed it away, but he wasn't able to last long. The soul fragment of Voldemort entered Harry, and he felt his scar burning with a mixture of anger and- regret?

"You just killed my snake. You're dead Potter," Voldemort stated in a monotone voice, as if talking about the weather.

"I'm still breathing aren't I?" Harry asked, smirking. He looked Voldemort in the eye, daring him to do something. Suddenly, Harry's wand arm burned. One minute left!

Harry looked around, he noticed Snape was stunned, and saw Ron running to Ginny. Hermione was still going at it with Bellatrix, but it didn't matter. They would be portkeyed out soon enough.

"I thought I had this discussion with you about destroying my horcruxes?" Everyone in the chamber froze. "You can't kill me Harry."

"Oh I will. Watch me. The diary, check, the ring, check, the locket, check, the cup, check, the wand, check, the snake, check. All that leaves is you Tom." Harry watched Voldemort flinch involuntarily as each horcrux was named.

"And for your ignorance, you will die. I made one more horcrux Potter. When I found out Lucius destroyed my diary, I killed Amelia Bones, and created one. It now resides safely on the Isle of Drear. You will die here, in this chamber, and your body will rot for eternity." Voldemort let out a laugh triumphantly. "Now you will die, and no one will be alive to here you scream. I'll start with your blood traitor girlfriend. _Avada Kedavra!_"

Time seemed to freeze, as everyone watched the green light head towards Ginny. Ron had just enervated her, and she looked up, staring at the killing curse as it made it's way towards her. Ron had just slipped her hand over half of his wand, and they both looked up in time to see the jet of light inching towards them. Ginny opened her mouth to scream. Harry yelled. Hermione gave a cry as Bellatrix had just hit her with a spell. And Voldemort laughed. Then, Harry felt the wand tug on him and they all disappeared. The last thing he heard was Voldemort's infuriated scream.

They reappeared again on Avalon. The rest of the order members that had gone with them also showed up, except only two of the morons from the ministry had made it. One of them had perished in the battle, as had a couple other aurors that Harry didn't know. A medic immediately set to work on Harry as Ron explained what happened. Ginny walked off to a grove of trees, and once the medic got started on Harry, Ron and Hermione followed. Harry sat patiently waiting for the medic to finish, and then once he was healed from the venomous part of the snake's attack, Harry headed off after his friends

What met his eyes in the grove of trees was not what he expected at all. He saw Ron hanging on a tree branch, as limp as a rag doll, and Hermione whimpering.

"Why Ginny? Why would you do that?" Hermione asked, but it was in a...different tone. As if, almost as if she had wanted to do it.

"I have wanted to do that to Ron forever. Only now I could actually do it."

Harry looked between his three friends, wondering what he had missed. Ginny's eyes turned, and they met Harry's gaze. Her eyes looked, different. Angrier, redder almost-

"Stun her!" Ginny fired a bat-bogey hex at Harry, but all Hermione could do was shake her head. Ginny had Hermione's wand. Harry dodged the bats flying around him and tried to cast a spell at Ginny. He couldn't pull himself to do it. He fired a stunner, but his heart wasn't in it. Ginny deflected it easily.

"_Crucio!"_ Shocked, Harry watched as the beam of light hit him in the chest.Harry was on the ground, writhing in pain. His wand had dropped, and Harry just let out a blood-curdling scream. He twitched violently. He looked at Ginny's eyes, and they held a new, maniacal gleam in them he had never seen before. Hermione inched slowly towards Harry's wand. Harry continued to scream, hopefully to distract Ginny long enough so they could stun her. When Hermione finally reached it, she picked it up and pointed it at Ginny. Her hand shaking, she looked at Ginny and a frown appeared on her face. She began to speak a spell, and Harry wondered why everything had turned upside down. For Hermione was directing the spell at him.

"_Avada Keda-" _But then, Ron's limp body fell from the tree and landed on Hermione, stopping her from casting the killing curse. Ginny had pulled her wand off of Harry when she heard Hermione and stared, wide-eyed at what was going on. Then, she looked at her wand, herself, and fainted. Harry looked into her eyes again, and realized what had happened.

"The Imperius curse," he said to himself. It must have happened to both of them. He picked his wand from Hermione's hand and cast an enervate on Ron. His eyes fluttered open.

"Bloody hell," he said, rubbing his head gingerly.

"It's good to have you back Ron. Help me get these two to the medics will you. They were under the imperius curse." Ron muttered some choice words Harry knew he wouldn't have dared say in front of Mrs. Weasley, and the two of them got the girls back to the medics. Harry explained what happened and they began to work on them.

While they waited, Harry and Ron headed back to one of the houses that were nearby. They just sat there in silence; everything that needed to be said was understood. The door eventually swung open, admitting a teary-eyed Ginny and a frightened Hermione.

"I'm glad you're safe Gin," Harry said sincerely, placing his arm around her. She responded by whimpering softly and wrapping her whole body around Harry.

"I almost k-k-killed you, a-and Ron," she said through tears.

"Shhh, its ok Ginny. You're safe now," Harry said, while rubbing her back sympathetically.

"Well, I heard some things I didn't really want to hear down there Harry," ventured Ron.

"Like what? About the horcruxes?" asked Harry, praying it wasn't about the other thing he was thinking about.

"Yes, he knows we're after the horcruxes, and there's _still_ one left," said Hermione.

"Bloody hell, that makes things complicated doesn't it?" replied Ron.

"Well, at least I know where we need to go: The Isle of Drear," concluded Harry.

"Where's that?" Ron asked.

"It's off the northernmost tip of Scotland. According to legend, two wizard families used to live there, the MacBoons and the McCliverts. The heads of the clans got into a duel and one of them ended up dying. The McClivert head. So to pay them back, the McCliverts transfigured all the MacBoons into Quintapeds, a five legged animal that has thick reddish brown hair and each leg ends in a clubfoot. The transfigured MacBoons then killed every human left on the island, but since there weren't anyone left who could use a wand, they couldn't return to normal. They like eating humans, supposedly. The island is unplottable," finished Hermione.

"Bloody Hell, how does she know all this stuff?" Ron asked.

"It was in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. If you would have taken your face off of Lavender for a moment and read your textbook, you would have known that too," retorted Hermione angrily.

"Sooo Ginny, you feeling thirsty right now?" Harry asked quickly.

"Yeah I think I am actually." Harry and Ginny started to go outside, leaving the noises of Ron and Hermione's bickering behind them, before Hermione closed the door in their face with her wand.

"Before you leave Harry, there's something I was wondering. Down in the chamber, when Voldemort cut your sleeve, what was that about?"

Harry groaned mentally.

"About that, I guess there's something you all need to know. Something I probably should have told you earlier but couldn't." Harry looked at the three of them, and then gave a defeated sigh.

Sorry again for another short chapter, there just wasn't a lot I had to get through on this one, except a quick twenty minute battle. They didn't really get into it too much, but now Harry has a large task in front of him huh? I hope you all have forgiven me now, and here is the preview for chapter 20. Keep an eye out for it; it will be a long one. And please review. 

Chapter 20: The Isle of Drear

Chapter Synopsis: Barely alive, Harry flees the battle with the truth in hand: Amelia Bones was killed to recreate the diary horcrux. Searching for answers, Harry heads to the Isle of Drear. The only problem is, no one has ever left the island alive.


	20. The Isle of Drear

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure 

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 20: The Isle of Drear 

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Barely alive, Harry flees the battle with the truth in hand: Amelia Bones was killed to recreate the diary horcrux. Searching for answers, Harry heads to the Isle of Drear. The only problem is, no one has ever left the island alive.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Ok, sorry it's been so long, we finished off our season, regional quarter-finalists, and I was voted district MVP, so not too bad a season. We closed out 22-4-4 so it was pretty good. Really really sorry again on the delay, just it took awhile to be inspired. I apologize profusely. I'll try and wrap this up. I'm debating whether or not to write a sequel to the alternate ending or to try one more time on book seven but do a better job, like work on the relationships more and make it more detailed and realistic. I think I have learned a lot this time around, so I may do that one more time. We'll see. Let me know what you think. Now I turn my attention back to this story, and we can try and wrap this baby up. I have 1 more chapter to write. I decided to save the ending for the next story. I presented myself with a way out this chapter, and I've decided I will use it. So I'll do my best. Here for now, is chapter 20: The Isle of Drear._

"**_That's great, because we have to destroy it to kill Voldemort. I suppose I could use it to kill Voldemort and then just pitch it in the veil?" _**

* * *

"About that, I guess there's something you all need to know. Something I probably should have told you earlier but couldn't," said Harry slowly.

"You know you can tell us anything right Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, just, this is different. I can understand, if you won't want to be with me anymore." Ginny looked like she was ready to slap him. Harry glanced at their faces wearily, and then slowly lifted his sleeve. Ron began cursing colorfully, Hermione was too shocked to say anything, and Ginny gave a quiet gasp.

"This is all some twisted joke isn't it? Seriously, you almost had me," said Ron.

"No joke."

"It's ironic don't you think Harry?" ventured Hermione.

Harry gave a bitter laugh, one that didn't reach his eyes. "Sure, Harry Potter, champion of the light, with this."

"So are you planning on explaining why you have a dark mark on your forearm Harry?" The room instantly grew warmer at Ron's question.

Harry rubbed the dark mark throbbing on his arm self-consciously.

"When Voldemort kidnapped and tortured me, he forced it on me," Harry replied quietly. "He thought it was ironic too," he trailed off. Hermione wrapped him in an embrace and Ron patted his back consolingly.

"We don't care Harry, it doesn't change who you are."

"Yes it does," he argued. "I've got a stain on my soul now. I can feel the darkness just sucking it up."

"Who are you?" Ginny asked suddenly. Taken aback, Harry stared at her. He steeled himself for the worst.

Ron and Hermione stared at her, as if seeing her in a new light.

"Wha-?" Harry asked.

"I mean, what's your name?"

"Harry Potter," he said, still eyeing her strangely.

"So that still hasn't changed then has it." She said it as a statement, not a question.

"No."

"Then we aren't abandoning you Harry. You're still the same person I fell in love with, twice, and I still am in love with you. It's gonna take a whole lot more than some silly tattoo to lose us, and you should know that by now." Ron and Hermione voiced their agreement. Harry stared at his friends.

"Are you sure, because- well – I wouldn't even want to be my friend," Harry finished lamely, lowering his eyes to stare at the ground.

"Don't ever say that Harry. We're here for you, always." Harry looked up into Hermione's eyes and nodded weakly.

"We have had all the time we could ever of wanted to leave you Harry and we're still here. So don't worry mate. We'll always be with you." Harry forced a weary grin at Ron's comment.

"I didn't fight for six years to get you to just give up on you Harry. And you better not do that to me. You hear me Potter?" Harry really did smile at Ginny. He pulled her near him and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Well, I guess since I'm still stuck with you guys, that we have an island to go to huh?" They nodded. "So let's go get horcrux number seven." Harry walked out of the room and headed over to the aurors. He found Tonks and approached her. He knew he would need help on this one. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had followed him.

"Tonks, listen," Harry began. The auror turned around with a question on her lips. "We need to go to the Isle of Drear." Tonks's expression immediately hardened.

"No you don't. No one has ever gone there and lived to tell about it."

"Well, we have to. Voldemort left something there and we need to destroy it." Harry quickly related everything he knew about the horcrux to her, knowing that this information was on a need to know basis, and Tonks needed to know.

"Oh," was all she could say.

"So we need to go there. Can you help us or no?"

"Well, there's anti-apparition wards, you can't portkey in or out, so we have to get there by boat, and leave by boat. I'll assemble a team." Tonks left and five minutes later returned with a squad of 6 more aurors. "Ten of us go. Come on. There's a boat at the entrance of Avalon." They headed off, Tonks introducing them along the way. It was Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Tonks, Crow, Grey, Bryant, Taylor, Brill, and Hoffman. Harry didn't know the other aurors, but Tonks was apparently friends with them. They loaded up in the boats, and left towards the Isle of Drear.

"So what are these Macboons and everything Hermione?" Ron asked again.

"They're Quintapeds, they have thick reddish brown hair five legs which end in clubfeet, and eat humans. They're only on the Isle of Drear, and the place is unplottable as well. So I have no idea how we will get there. I just know it's off the northernmost tip of Scotland," replied Hermione exasperatedly. They were still on the boats and Hermione was getting annoyed.

"So we destroy this horcrux and that's it right Harry?" Ron asked, quickly changing the subject before he aggravated Hermione more.

"Yeah, this is it. Destroy this one and we can go after him. Rather, I can go after him. This is my fight, once we're done with this."

"We'll be with you all the way Harry," said Ginny.

"Yeah," Harry said hesitantly.

"Do you know how you're going to- you know," Ron said.

"Regulus had said a love-based spell. I have no idea though. I've been thinking about it a lot. But I've got nothing. Hermione?" Harry asked, looking to the brightest witch of their age hopefully. She bit her lip.

"Let me think about it. I'll let you know."

"Ginny," Harry began quietly. She snuggled closer to him and listened.

"Yes Harry?"

"I want you to know, no matter what happens, I-" Why was it so hard to say those three little words?

"I know Harry. I know," she said and kissed him. They broke apart after Ron began shouting about his "virgin eyes."

"I'm sure they are Ron," Ginny replied sarcastically. Ron's ears turned red at the comment.

"We're here!" yelled Tonks. The boats beached at the edge of the island and they got out of the boats warily.

"Wands out, everyone." Harry felt a sudden flashback.

* * *

"Wands out you reckon?" Cedric asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied, glad it had been Cedric who said it. They held their wands out and looked around.

"Anyone tell you the cup was a portkey?"

"Nope. Ahhhhh!" Harry collapsed.

"Harry!"

"Kill the spare."

"_Avada Kedavra_!"

* * *

"Harry!" Who was that? A girl's voice? Ginny? Her face lazily swam back into his vision. Her red hair glinted in the sun. Harry slowly stood up- when did he fall?- and looked around.

"I'm fine," he answered irritably to everyone's concerned looks. He stood up, shaking the dirt off and began to walk purposefully towards the northwest side of the island. 'Just where the cup was,' he thought morosely.

"Where are you going?"

"To the horcrux."

"How do you know it's that way?" Hermione asked again.

"I- I don't know. I just know it's that way. How must do you all trust me?"

"With my life," said Ron confidently.

"Then let's go."

Harry strode confidently through the island; somehow knowing nothing would touch him. Unbidden came the memory of his trip in the cave: they would only be in danger on the return trip. Voldemort would want to know who got there and why.

"We're safe until we get to the horcrux. Trust me."

They walked in silence, Harry leading the way through a twisting trail and sometimes having to double back because they couldn't get through. Harry had the distinct feeling they were being watched; the hair on the back of his neck was standing up more than usual. Finally, they found an entrance to a cave. Harry looked around, and tried to sense the magic, like he had with Dumbledore. He pointed his wand at the cave's entrance and tried to bodily walk through it. Ginny linked her hand through his for good luck, and Harry was glad for the touch. Harry prepared himself to bounce off, but instead fell through, Ginny falling in behind him. Ron came next, but he bounced off. Realization dawned on Harry.

"Give me your hand Ron," Harry said and offered it through the barrier. Ron grabbed on and Harry pulled him through.

"You need a dark mark to pass," Harry offered as an explanation. The aurors eyes grew wide, as Harry pushed his shirtsleeve up.

"Long story," he said. "Just trust me." One by one, they all followed Harry as he pulled them through, then they entered the tunnel. Harry didn't know what the horcrux would look like, but guessed it would be protected. They walked wearily through the tunnel and approached the first obstacle.

"Never-ending fire," stated Hermione after the _aguamenti _charm she used failed. Harry noticed the awe in her voice. The flames crackled merrily, and Harry had no idea how to cross. So he just walked through. The flames were intense, and Harry felt like his body was on fire. He forced himself to ignore it and crossed the bridge. Once he reached the other side, he expected his body to be on fire. It wasn't. The flames hadn't been real.

"The flames aren't real!" Harry yelled across to his friends. One by one, they crossed the rickety slope. Tonks volunteered first and made it across. When Bryant went, he screamed from the flames and something came out of the ceiling and swallowed him up. Everyone else screamed as well. But nothing happened.

"Hold your screams while you cross," Harry heard Hermione say. He saw Ginny cast a silencing charm on herself and walk across. Her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. She made it across with Harry. Ron and Hermione followed after, using the charm as well. The rest of the aurors came across except for the last one.

"Just do it Taylor!" Tonks yelled. He hesitantly walked across and once he neared them, Tonks screamed. The step he was on had collapsed under him and he fell into the chasm below. Harry frowned. Voldemort normally just cared about the magical power, not the strength. That was strange. Harry felt extremely guilty now though. He had cost two aurors their lives. But he didn't have time to be guilty, they had to get the horcrux and get out.

"Come on," said Tonks, her voice wavering only slightly.

Harry continued on through the tunnel as it winded upwards. They ended up at the second hurdle.

"A wall?" Harry asked incredulously. "Is that the best you've got Tom? I'm disappointed." Harry cast a simple reductor curse and then was forced to throw himself onto the ground as his spell whizzed by him, barely missing his stomach.

Harry grunted as he picked himself up. "That's a little better. I think we have to climb it though…" he said, trailing off. Harry put his hand to pull himself up the ledge but immediately pulled it away. "It's freezing cold," Harry said, his voice sounding amazed. Tonks conjured muggle pick axes and they climbed their way up the slope as if they were mountain climbers. Harry got on top first, and everyone followed but Brill. He was near the end when the ceiling suddenly collapsed. Harry threw himself to try and catch him but his hand missed. It grazed his fingertip and Brill's scream echoed throughout. It was a long fall. They had taken ten minutes just to reach the top. Harry was tired of having people dying on him. So was Tonks; she looked furious. She had already lost three people to carelessness. They continued on and watched as the tunnel grew steadily darker. Harry cast a Lumos but the darkness seemed to swallow it whole. It was like the twins' Peruvian darkness, only Harry had no hand of glory to help him. They trekked their way through the darkness, Harry falling twice when the ground changed. Then once, Harry narrowly missed falling into a pit, but Crow and Hoffman weren't that lucky. They threw a rope down that Tonks conjured but it seemed like they hadn't survived the fall. They continued on and finally the tunnel opened up into a room. Light filtered in from somewhere, and they crossed the room slowly to the middle. Brooms were located at the entrance and they picked them up to fly up to the top, where the horcrux presumably lay. Once they were airborne, the wind went crazy. Gray got thrown into the wall, and Ginny slammed into Ron and they both tumbled back down. Tonks flew down to check on the three of them leaving Hermione and Harry alone.

"Go back down Hermione, I don't want to have to worry about you. Help Tonks. Let me finish this."

"No Harry. I'm staying with you," she managed to get out. Harry could tell she was terrified of flying, yet stayed with him. "You may need two people, like you did with Dumbledore."

Harry couldn't argue with her. Instead, he held her arm, guiding her to the top, fighting against the wind. They finally made it and got off the brooms. The wind died down instantly. There, on top of the rock lay-

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I can't believe we fell for his stupid tricks. He just said that so I wouldn't try and kill him. They all died for nothing. Ugh!" Harry kicked the makeshift table roughly and it fell away. Lying underneath the rocky table was a dagger. It had the crest of Hogwarts on it.

"It was here all along," Hermione whispered.

"What?"

"The Hogwarts dagger. It's from _Hogwarts, a History. _Legend has it that the founders had to unite together to destroy a Dark Lord. They combined their powers and created the dagger. It was used to kill the Dark Lord, but then disappeared from both time and legend. It's very powerful. Each of the founders put an enchantment on it. Gryffindor made it capable of healing a wounded soul with the one side and Slytherin made it able to destroy a corrupted one with the other; Hufflepuff gave it a charm that made it impossible to knock out of your hand forcefully and Ravenclaw made it indestructible to everything except, oh what was it? I don't remember. I think that part was missing from the legend. It didn't say. Only one thing could destroy it though. I know that."

"That's great, because we have to destroy it to kill Voldemort. I suppose I could use it to kill Voldemort and then just pitch it in the veil?" mused Harry.

"That could work Harry. That means the battle will be taking place then at-"

"The Department of Mysteries," finished Harry. "You're right."

"We should get back down now Harry."

Harry reached out to grab the dagger but instead it stabbed him in the chest. Hermione watched as Harry fell, gracefully, off the rock cliff.

_**A/N (where i apologize again) This seemed like a good place to stop on the read through. Sorry for the cliff hanger and the long wait for this chapter, which is shorter than normal. I feel very bad about all this. I will update again as soon as I can though with the final chapter. Here's the preview.**_

Chapter 21: A Love-based Spell

Chapter Synopsis: Harry and gang leave the Isle of Drear with the Hogwarts dagger horcrux in hand. Harry then receives a vision and heads back after Voldemort. Harry casts _eo obex_, the battle spell. They fight to the end, apparating through wards, crushing defenses. The battle ranges from Azkaban to Avalon, from Hogwarts to the Ministry. And just when all is lost, one man tries to save the day, and one last chance is taken.


	21. A Love Based Spell

Title: Harry Potter and the Great Adventure 

Author: Magiquill9

Chapter 21: A Love-based Spell 

Ships: Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin and Tonks.

Chapter Synopsis: Harry and gang leave the Isle of Drear with the Hogwarts dagger horcrux in hand. Harry then receives a vision and heads back after Voldemort. Harry casts _eo obex_, the battle spell. They fight to the end, apparating through wards, crushing defenses. The battle ranges from Azkaban to Avalon, from Hogwarts to the Ministry. And just when all is lost, one man tries to save the day, and one last chance is taken.

Story Summary: HBP raised as many questions as it answered. How can Harry find a horcrux? How can he destroy the horcruxes? Everything was laid out, and we were about to jump off the cliff. Here's where the cliffhanger ends and the adventure begins. Join Harry and friends as they struggle to lead the wizarding world out of despair, fight the good fight, and put an end to the evil that is Tom Riddle.

_Disclaimer: Ok, so super sorry again for taking so long to come back to you all. Hope this update will help you all to forgive me. Sorry again on the cliff. We're approaching the climax rapidly. I'm down to the final battle. I've decided, after long deliberating, that I will be ending the story after this chapter. I'm going to wrap it up here. The ending I had planned out, I will reuse next story. I am very fond of the next ending, and I have decided to save it for when the story leading up to it is better. So I will use the alternate ending next story, and the regular ending I had planned next story. I've read stories now, they have handled relationships way better than I have, and I've learned a lot. I'm anxious to try one more time. So I think I will do that, then maybe head after the sequel. I've decided not to do a sequel of my first story. We'll see what happens with this one though. I'm finished now. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for staying with me. Here's Chapter 21: A Love-based Spell._

"_**Come one come all, the battle of the half-bloods, Tom Marvolo Riddle vs. Harry James Potter in our new celebrity death match of the century!"**_

* * *

Harry fell gracefully, and time seemed to freeze. He stared at the hilt of the dagger in wonder. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to win. He watched as the ground sped up to meet him. He vaguely heard Tonks cast the spell Dumbledore had used on him at the quidditch match and felt his body slow dramatically. He seemed to almost float the last couple feet to the ground. 

Hermione flew down to meet him. He saw Ginny and Ron getting up and rubbing their heads gingerly, as did Gray. Tonks rushed over to him and made to grip the dagger. Harry shook his head. He gripped it and slowly pulled it out. His body let out a gasp and the dagger clattered on the ground next to him. Tonks waved her wand over his abdomen to heal him, but there was no injury. It had healed itself. Harry looked in wonder at his arm and saw the dark mark disappearing.

"Heal a wounded soul," whispered Hermione in awe. Harry felt the darkness within him slowly disappear. He felt a great weight off his shoulders, and Voldemort's presence lessened greatly.

"Let's get out of here." The six of them headed back the way they came, avoiding the pit and slowly but surely working their way back. They flew back down the cliff with the brooms and flew across the flaming bridge as well. Once they made it to the barrier, they were able to make it through even though no one had a dark mark. It was only barricaded from the outside. Once they made it out of the cave though, they were met with a sight they didn't wish to see.

"Quintapeds…" said Ron. And he was right; there were Quintapeds: hundreds of them. It didn't look good. Especially since they were hungry. Fortunately, they had the brooms. They flew into the air, away from the Quintapeds. They had to avoid the trees as well though, but once they cleared the tree, they ran into a spell barrier. Gray bounced off first and fell back down towards the hungry Quintapeds. Ginny bounced off as well, but between Ron and Hermione, they were able to catch her. Tonks and Harry rushed after Gray, but his broom was broken. He began firing spells at the Quintapeds and retreating towards the boats. They all helped to fire at the animals but it was no use. There was just too many of them. They were soon overwhelmed.

"Just go without me. Get out of here," yelled Gray.

"We won't leave without you," returned Tonks.

"You're gonna have to. _Avada Kedavra." _Gray yelled. Harry looked for the rush of green light, but saw it striker Gray. He killed himself so he wouldn't be eaten alive. The Quintapeds rushed at his body. Harry and Tonks flew away dejectedly with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny following. Through the commotion of the new food for the Quintapeds, they were able to escape. They made it to the boats and they all jumped in. They rowed like crazy because the Quintapeds dove in after them. But they didn't last long in water; they started to drown. They were free from the Isle of Drear. But only half of them made it out alive. They rowed quietly, lost in their thoughts. Tonks took them back to Avalon while Harry sat staring into open space. Ginny knew he was starting on his guilt trip and sat in his lap, bringing him back to the present.

"Harry! Snap out of it. It wasn't your fault that they died ok? It was Voldemort's. Get that through your thick head Potter!" Harry, brought out of his reverie, stared at Ginny. He had been blaming himself for their deaths.

"But I-"

"No. No buts. It wasn't your fault. It isn't your fault. It never will be your fault. We have the last horcrux. We can beat him now. And then you and I can live. Actually live. You can have that family you've always wanted, eventually. So no guilt trips. We have to get through this. Together. Ok?"

Not trusting his voice, Harry merely nodded. But it was enough. Ginny began to sob into his shoulder. Harry didn't know why she was crying, but he had finally learned how to comfort crying girls. He rubbed circles on her back and whispered soothing words into her ear.

"You better be there after Potter. I can't live without you. So don't let me down."

"Take care of yourself Gin. If I beat Voldemort but you aren't there, it's worse than losing." That started her tears anew. But Tonks announced they had arrived, and everyone got out. Avalon welcomed Harry; it enveloped him, especially since it couldn't sense his dark mark anymore.

Harry immediately looked for privacy and settled on sitting underneath the shade of a tree, the same tree, consequently, from where Merlin's book had emerged. Soon, it would be time to face Voldemort. Harry knew that, and yet- he had no idea if he was ready. He still had no idea how to defeat him. He would have to destroy the horcrux that much was for sure. Maybe, he could stab Voldemort with the dagger…

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by a scream. He was drawn into his own mind, and was forced to watch Voldemort.

"Ah… Harry Potter, just the man I was looking for. I was wondering if you would care to help me with something, you see, I have someone here I am just _dying_ to kill, and yet, I can't decide how." Molly Weasley's face suddenly appeared from the shadows behind Voldemort, and he laughed, his laughter ringing coldly from where he was.

"I am in Azkaban if you would like to help me Harry. I'm thinking slow and steady does the trick no? _Crucio!"_ And the screams of his surrogate mother filled Harry's mind. He forced himself to close off the link and was able to after a lot of effort, but was left gasping for breath. When he returned to the safety of his own mind, he noticed that his friends had surrounded him.

"He has your mum," Harry said quietly, his voice hardly above a whisper. Ron suddenly turned white, and Ginny pale. Hermione gave a small whimper as well. "She's in Azkaban. Alert the order. This is it. I'm going after him. I'll meet you all there."

Harry moved to apparate, but Hermione grabbed his hand.

"We have to get there by boat, remember?"

Harry studied her expression, it had changed dramatically from the past couple years. When normally, she would be reprimanding Harry for his "saving-people thing" or else repeating adamantly that he was wrong, she had instead chosen to follow him unquestioningly. Her loyalty shone brightly. Her confidence helped Harry's to grow. Ron had run off to get the order involved, and they headed towards the boats, to move out towards Azkaban.

Harry held Ginny in his arms on the way there. There was no need for words; they both knew this could be the last time they were together. Ron and Hermione were acting much the same way. The trip was completed in silence. When they reached Azkaban, Harry's scar began to throb painfully. Harry ignored it and walked bravely into the prison. He took one last look at his best friends, and the love of his life.

"No matter what happens, it ends tonight." And on that note, Harry spun on his heel and entered the fight he had been born for. His robe billowed behind him, so magnificently in fact; it would have made Snape proud. Harry pulled his wand out and trudged up the path. Remus and Tonks came behind him. Hermione and Ron right after, with Ginny between them. Moody limped along in the rear. Other order members and aurors spread out to attack and infiltrate the Isle of Darkness. Harry walked ahead and Voldemort pulled him into another vision.

"It's just you and me Potter. I've instructed my death eaters to leave you alone. Come, and meet your destiny."

"Come one come all, the battle of the half-bloods, Tom Marvolo Riddle vs. Harry James Potter in our new celebrity death match of the century!" Harry thought bitterly.

Harry snapped out of it and obliged happily. He wanted this over. He needed to save Mrs. Weasley, and that was that. He entered the cell where she was, and the gate locked behind him. Mrs. Weasley was nowhere to be seen. It was another trick. He heard the beginnings of a fight outside and saw his friends and allies battling the death eaters.

"Ahh, Harry, come, let us step out of this cell and begin this fight in earnest."

"Tom," Harry nodded curtly. He watched as Voldemort's face reddened in fury.

"It seems I will need to teach you a lesson in manners my servant."

"I'm not your servant, nor was I ever."

"What do you call that mark on your arm then?" Voldemort asked, and freed his arm where the mark had resided. Voldemort was startled to see it bare.

"How did you do that?"

Smirking, Harry responded cheekily: "Magic."

"_Crucio!" _And the battle began. Harry dodged and cast the battle spell. "Eo Obex" he chanted, while moving his wand in a circle and pointing it at Voldemort. He took the cutting curse in the side to make sure the spell was up. And retaliated.

"_Aguamenti!" _Voldemort laughed at Harry's water spell, and allowed it to hit him. However, Harry shot a powerful non-verbal transfiguration spell. It transformed Voldemort's wand into a piece of wood. Voldemort didn't notice.

"The spells you use are laughable boy. _Avada-" _But Voldemort didn't finish- a _Crucio _impacted the side of their shield and they disappeared from Azkaban forever.

"_Kedavra!" _He yelled. Harry hit the floor and rolled, landing on the hard ground that was the final resting place of Aragog, outside Hagrid's cabin. The Forbidden forest was ablaze with arrows and shrieks, as the centaurs rebelled valiantly against the death eaters who had taken over the school. The animals of the forest had united against a common foe. Even Grawp seemed to fight. The death eaters holding the castle were heavily outnumbered. Voldemort screamed in rage as Harry took it in. He dropped his wand and pulled a spare out.

"So you made my wand useless did you Potter? You'll pay for that. _Crucio!"_

Too busy paying attention to the fight, Harry took the hit and dropped to the ground, moving sporadically from the pain of the spell. He soon began to stare at a light that was rapidly approaching him. Harry welcomed it, the pain was enormous. His throat was raw and scratchy and he tried to move towards the light. But the light went at Voldemort and hit him. A honk pierced the air. It was the beat up Ford Anglia, run wild from the forest. It slammed Voldemort, breaking the barrier and the curse. They disappeared as soon as it hit, only to reappear again at Avalon.

Harry stood up shakily and cast a stunning spell, which was easily deflected. Harry cast a full body bind, which Voldemort blocked with a shield, forcing it to ricochet at Harry. It bounced off the battle spell and hit Voldemort. He quickly cast the counter curse and Harry dove behind a tree to avoid the killing curse cast his way. The bark of the tree splintered under the attack and Harry sat panting, trying to get an advantage. The dagger brushed his side. Harry knew what he had to do.

"Come out come out Potter. I haven't got all day. Aren't you supposed to be a Gryffindor? The recklessly brave? The ones who don't hide in fear? Then again, you truly are your parents' child. They were weak and foolish. They crossed my path, and their death was bought at their own stupidity. As was yours." Harry determinedly rose from behind the tree and spun around. His face, full of fury, stared hard into Voldemort's red eyes.

"_Crucio!" _Voldemort blinked stupidly and fell under the onslaught of Harry's curse. He writhed on the ground for a moment, but the spell wavered and collapsed. Furious, Voldemort returned the favor. Harry fell to the ground shaking, but fought against the pain. He forced himself to stand, while under the effects of the curse. Voldemort let his mouth fall open in shock. Harry steadied himself and prepared to lunge at Voldemort with the dagger at his side. But Avalon decided it did not want them there anymore. They disappeared in a flash of gray light, and reappeared in the Death room, ironically enough, where Sirius had fallen. There were death eaters too here, fighting to take control of the ministry. Harry noticed his friends here as well. Neville was fighting Bellatrix, and surprisingly held the upper hand. Ron was against Pettigrew, and Hermione had her hands full with Rookwood. Luna helped Neville and was also fighting Nott. Ginny was taking on Snape and Remus was locked in a muggle duel with Fenrir Greybeck. Other order members were spread out fighting as well, but those were who caught Harry's attention.

Voldemort looked at Harry and smirked evilly.

"The battle curse Potter? I should have known. _Finite Incantatum!_" Harry's shield spell collapsed. Harry thought _levicorpus_ and fired it at Voldemort. Caught off guard, Voldemort was hit. The spell hoisted him in the air by his ankles, and the effect was comical. Voldemort fired an _Avada Kedavra_ at Harry, but he was too wrapped up in the spell to notice. As it was about to hit, he felt someone push him out of the way, thereby ending the spell and dropping Voldemort unceremoniously onto the ground. Pettigrew lay on the floor, dead. Harry watched as Nott fell and saw Hermione get hit with a strange curse. She collapsed onto the floor. Ron and Luna continued the fight against Rookwood and quickly overpowered him. Ginny was stunned and bound, and out of the fight. Remus had been the first to draw blood and Greybeck snarled viciously. But Remus had him pinned, and Harry watched in morbid fascination as the werewolf's neck was snapped. He dropped limply onto the ground and Remus rushed to Hermione's side. Voldemort had approached Wormtail's body and kicked it.

"Filthy traitor. Once a traitor always a traitor. Eh Potter? Wormtail on my side, Severus on yours. How interesting. Come, we have a duel to finish." Harry maneuvered around to the side and had his back to Snape, but neither noticed. Harry cast a levitation charm on the dagger and hurled it at Voldemort. The dagger connected.

"Urgh!" Voldemort screamed. Harry watched as the tip of the dagger evaluated his soul, deciding if it was wounded or corrupted. Suddenly, the dagger's hilt just fell off completely. The piece of Voldemort's soul inside it re-entered Voldemort's body and reunited with the soul fragment inside. Voldemort gave an inhuman scream. Harry heard a whispering in his ear.

"A love-based spell Potter. Now!" Harry turned to face his hated ex-professor.

"What is a love-based spell?" The question had been tormenting Harry. Snape sneered at him. Harry lifted his arm back, preparing to punch Snape right in the nose.

"A Patronus Charm you worthless Gryffindor, now! Think of love as your memory."

Harry called into mind his thoughts of Ginny, the time they had dated, the times they had kissed. Her beautiful smiling face appeared in his mind. He looked Voldemort in the eyes and fired.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" A beautiful golden stag erupted from his wand and plowed straight into Voldemort. A door inside the Department of Mysteries, always locked, burst open. The room filled with a bright white light, and Harry's stag was strengthened, as it slammed the-Dark-Lord-who-seriously-got-owned-by-a-17-year-old. He flew into the air as he was impaled upon the horns of the stag and landed at the base of the dais. With one final thought of Ginny, their ever after, Harry took one last look at his archrival and fired a banishing spell at him. The patronus Charm glowed stronger and plowed through Voldemort. He was dead before he entered the veil. But Harry was pulled towards the veil as well. He felt Voldemort fighting possession of his body. Part of his soul was stuck in Harry.

"Your scar," Harry heard Snape yell as he revived Ginny. To Harry, it all seemed distant. Only pain was present. He knew he was dead. He threw himself at the veil, seeking peace. His head was the first thing to enter. But he tripped on the way and felt someone grab his leg. But he was too far away. He was here. In the veil. So close. He could see him.

"Sirius?"

"Harry, why are you coming in after me? That's something Remus would do I'd imagine. Or else Alina. She had threatened that if I died she would shoot herself and come after me. Of course, before she thought I was a traitor anyway. But that's neither here nor there. Harry, why did you come in the veil?"

Harry watched the image of his godfather begin to flicker in front of him.

"He's dead now you know. Officially anyway. Your scar was his last link, but by entering the veil, you destroyed it. You should be surprised when you go back across. Ginny's still got a hold of you. You aren't all the way in yet. Goodbye Harry. Lily and James send their love. And I do too. Get some kids. Keep the marauder line going all right kiddo? Love ya."

Harry suddenly fell flat on his face. He fell through the other side of the veil. He looked in surprise at Ginny.

But then Harry collapsed. The battle around him continued going on, but Snape stood right next to him. Ginny ran over to Ron, satisfied Harry was safe for the time being.

"You did it Potter. I'm impressed." Harry resisted the urge to hex the man.

"Tell me, why did Dumbledore trust you?"

Snape looked Harry in the eye. "_But he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."_

"You know the whole prophecy then?" Harry asked incredulously.

"But I only told the Dark Lord the first half. That is also, consequently, why I hated you. It had initially been my job to kill the Dark Lord, my way of repenting myself when I first volunteered to serve as a spy. I would have all the glory. I would be the savior of the Wizarding World. Then that stupid prophecy comes from the bumbling idiot of a seer. I am thrown into the backseat, and instead am forced to manipulate a prophecy to our advantage to prove my loyalty. I sent your parents to their deaths by using half a prophecy to make the Dark Lord mark you that night. A mistake I have regretted, for I wished neither of your parents to be dead. I was friends with Lily, and while I loathed James, there was a mutual… respect. That was why he trusted me. Incidentally, I killed him on his own orders." Dumbledore's murder was still hard to discuss.

Harry studied his professor for a long moment. Then he stuck out his hand. Snape shook it. They turned to survey the rest of the battle. Neville had killed Bellatrix. Apparently, his disarming charm had thrown her skull into the side of the veil, crushing it.

Ginny was fine, Snape had not caused her much harm. Hermione had been apparated out with Remus. The ministry wards were long gone and they had both left. Ron was missing part of his arm, and Luna had a chunk of her side gone. They were both being worked on by a couple aurors. The battle was over. They had won.

Harry stepped over a body and turned it over out of curiosity. He suddenly wished he hadn't. Snape side-apparated him to St. Mungo's to be looked over. But that image would never leave his eyes. He had stared into the empty eyes of Charlie Weasley.

They reappeared at the emergency room and were met with total chaos. Dementors were sweeping into the room. It was as cold as ice. Harry began to summon his patronus, but instead heard only a mocking laugh in his head. When Voldemort had branded him. Attacking from the grave, Voldemort hurt Harry worse than he could have thought possible. The dementor gripped Harry's shoulders, but was fought off by a fox patronus. Harry looked around. Snape nodded curtly. The dementors regrouped, but suddenly a white light entered the room. The dementors cowered in fear and let loose an unearthly scream. The white light from the DoM enveloped them and they- for lack of a better word- died. Their capes hit the ground.

"Never doubt the power of love," Snape said. It was such an un-Snape thing to say that Harry snorted.

"Time to rebuild the world."

* * *

Harry of course, ended up marrying Ginny, and they had seven kids, 6 girls and a boy at the end, their own Quidditch team as they fondly called them. Ron and Hermione married as well, and had twin girls, followed by a boy. Neville became the Herbology teacher at Hogwarts. Luna took over the Quibbler, while Snape redeemed himself in the eyes of everyone by helping Harry in the battle. Remus and Tonks also married, and the dawn of a new age of Marauders swept the country. With dementors gone, the Wizarding World was left to rebuild itself. This time, the world that had been created out of fear, and kept in check by fear, would have a fresh start, hopefully one that would not produce another Dark Lord. 

Thanks for everything you all. You were great. The epilogue, I admit, wasn't awesome, but… I'm workin on it. In the summer I'm going to give one more shot at book seven and see how that turns out. Then, we'll see what happens. Thanks for hanging in there with me through it all. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review.


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